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Staff and Faculty
Dr. John S. Bolin
English, Theatre, Dean of Faculty (1970-2009)
Sept. 10, 2024
John S. Bolin, age 80, long-time professor of English and Theatre at Berea College, died peacefully on September 10, 2024, in Arlington, Virginia, with his wife Sandra by his side.
John and Sandra were married in 1965. In 1970, following graduate school in Michigan, John became a professor at Berea College in Berea, Kentucky. Berea was to become their cherished home for more than 50 years. There they quickly made lifelong friends and strongly supported the College’s commitments to racial equality and educational opportunity for the economically disadvantaged and underserved across Appalachia and beyond. During his tenure as professor and dean, John taught classes in theatre history, design, speech, acting, literature, and general studies. He directed over 50 plays from 1970 to retirement in 2009. After the Tabernacle fire in 1973, John created the Phoenix Theatre as a temporary venue in Phelps Stokes Chapel and helped design the new Jelkyl Drama Center which opened in 1980. He was the founder of Berea College Summer Repertory Theatre from 1981 to 1983, and the Canadian Drama Project,1975 to 1996.
He was elected to the Berea Board of Education (1989-1992) and was first president and founding member of the Berea Arts Council. He was a W.K. Kellogg National Fellow (1983 to 1986), as well as a recipient of the Seabury Award for Excellence in Teaching. Later in his career, he served as Associate Dean of General Education from 1989 to 1994, and Dean of the Faculty from 1998 to 2003. Under his direction, a theatre major became available to students, many of whom went on to careers in professional theatre and education. He was very proud of his students’ work and believed in the power of theatre to nurture empathy and awareness of the human condition. John’s book, “Full-Length Plays Produced at Berea College, 1892 to 2006,” documents the growth and success of the Berea College theatre program over many years. John loved travel with Sandra and family, including the family’s Scottish terriers, opera, furniture making, the works of William Morris, gardening, and time with his family and many friends. He is survived by his wife Sandra, son Nathaniel, daughter-in-law Vivienne, granddaughter Sophie, brother Bruce and his wife Janet and their daughters Claire and Margot, as well as sister-in-law Nancy and many cousins, nieces and nephews. A family gathering will be held for John at a later date.
Those wishing to do so may make a contribution in John’s memory to a favorite charity or to the Bolin-Blaine Memorial Scholarship Fund at Berea College, CPO 2216, Berea, KY. 40404. The fund was established by John and Sandra to help students with the costs of foreign study.
Dr. Steve Boyce
Academic Vice President, Provost (1969 – 2003)
July 12, 2024
Dearest Church Family and Friends,
How heavy my heart is to share with you the death of Steve Boyce, stalwart member, environmental steward, consummate educator-mentor, thoughtful trickster, and beloved friend. After more than a decade of weathering the effects of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), he began a steeper decline in the last weeks and early this morning slipped into that deeper love and wider life. Patty, his wife for more than 59 years, was at his side when he passed. He was 82 years old.
Steve and Patty joined the Union Church congregation in February of 2003. He was fond of telling the story that when they began to search for a church home they consulted a friend who was happy to give her opinion of each of the local faith communities. After reviewing (and rejecting) more than a handful and asking if there were any others, the friend remarked, “Oh, well, there’s Union, but they’ll take anybody.” Hearing that, they knew that Union was absolutely the place to start!
As members both Patty and Steve held places on nearly every board and team. Significantly it was Steve’s tireless research and organizational skills that put solar panels on the church roof, now generating up to 1/3 of all our electrical usage. He was also instrumental (read: “mostly responsible for”) creating the solar panel lease farm still functioning through Berea Municipal Utilities. This was his idea of “preaching from the rooftop” and he relished putting our prayers for a better world into practical action. His careful analysis of numbers and processes benefited the finances, the structure, and our administrative procedures more than a few times. That he could do all of it with a self-deprecating humor, wry wit, and a twinkle in his eye just made it all the more delightful to be in his company. Whatever the project or goal, in all he undertook he brought his “A-game,” and left us all better for it.
Steve grew up in Indiana and attended Earlham College. He was a stellar “scholar-athlete” there, lettering all four years in both football and baseball. In football he played both offense and defense and was part of the longest winning streak among Quaker teams (21) in the 1964 season. Having gone to a Quaker school myself, I may or may not have teased that this could be the equivalent of being the very best surfer in Kansas, but the accomplishment was indeed notable. In addition, no one will be surprised to learn that he was simultaneously top of his class for 3 of the four years and won the top prizes in both mathematics and liberal arts.
Following Earlham, he proposed to Patty, and went on to earn his master’s degree and Ph.D in mathematics from the University of Wisconsin. In 1969 he joined the faculty at Berea College where he served with distinction, both in the Mathematics department and as Academic Vice President and Provost for the rest of his academic career.
Positions and prizes, however, hardly scratch the surface of the character, warmth, insight, and care he was truly known for. Whether counseling students, puzzling out a solution to a crisis, or plotting the overthrow of evil with good, Steve was reliably meticulous, thoughtful, and compassionate. He would not be rushed into a half-baked opinion, no matter how obvious the path seemed. The master of the “deep breath, pause-reflect, take another breath, and another pause before speaking” method of deliberation, his thoughts were worth waiting for.
He thought to the depths few others went to, and he brought forth pearls few others found. He strove to see the possibility and potential in others, even when they could hardly discern it themselves; and he would patiently, thoughtfully abide until it could be coaxed out into new life. He led others less gifted without condescension, and he educated others of every ability without arrogance. He was a truly gifted teacher, mentor, and colleague who much preferred to simply do the work well and with integrity, seeking no further recognition. Rapaciously inquisitive and intellectually gifted, his character was also beautifully tempered by his passion to build a better world and a compassion for all who live in it. My wife Diana described him as, “Mild-mannered mathematician on the surface; world-changing superhero all up and underneath.” He was a truly good man, exuding character with wit, wisdom with warmth, and humility with an open heart.
I know that your prayers join mine as we support all of his family and his many, many close friends who have surrounded him with care and company. Son Nathan (Heidi), daughter Kristin (Mariano), and son Anthony (Vicky) are in our hearts with Patty as they grieve. The family have not yet had a chance to think about memorial arrangements, but typical of Steve’s practical love and prayer, he donated his body to the University of Kentucky that others might benefit even in his death. I will of course share any news of a memorial for him when it becomes available.
When he and I spoke about his decision to enter hospice care he shared that he hoped to die with a “sense of readiness.” I hope and pray that he felt what others sensed: that he was ready, that he had prepared with a lifetime of caring, and that it was now good and right to lay this world aside in favor the great mystery to come. His absence, for those who knew and loved him, is glaring. His strong, steady presence even in illness was a force to be reckoned with and the haunting quiet is as when a great engine, running so constantly that we have stopped attending consciously to the power and thrum, finally rumbles to silence. The stillness of that force is now as deafening as it was ubiquitous. But—and typical of Steve Boyce—in the stillness is a part of the gift: the chance to pause, think deeply, and draw from the depths reflections on this pearl of friendship and service and love, who is and was our treasure to know.
May God give him both rest and resurgence, peace and power. And please, may God help us all to grow up to be just a little more like Steve Boyce in whatever ways we can manage. I know it would do me a great deal of good, should I be so lucky.
In Grace, In Sorrow, In Gratitude,
Rev. Kent
Miriam David Brown
Director of Berea College Health Services (2001-2014)
April 30, 2024
Dr. Miriam David Brown died on April 30, 2024 in Burlington, N.C. She was born Miriam Ann Lang on June 8, 1945 in Chicago, IL to Gerhard Paul and Elsie Caroline (Reese) Lang. She grew up in St. Louis, MO, graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Michigan with a bachelor of science in nursing (1967), with a masters in public health from the University of Missouri, Columbia (1973), and a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Kentucky College of Medicine (1983). She completed residencies at the University of Kentucky in Family Medicine (1983-85), Public Health and General Preventive Medicine (1987), and Occupational Medicine and Preventive Medicine (1987-88). She focused on family practice and preventative medicine and retired as the Medical Director from Berea College Health Services in 2014. She volunteered many years at Nathaniel Mission and Mission Lexington.
Miriam was preceded in death by her parents and a sister, Cathy Rae Lang. She is survived by her daughter, Heidi David-Young, her husband David Young and her son, Christopher David and his wife Lara (Vernard) David from her first marriage to Alan David. She is also survived by her husband, Ned Brown, and step-sons, Neddy, Seann and Evan Brown. She will also be missed by her grandchildren, Noah, Micah and Leah Young, Kent and Clark David, Caydei Hasley and Jacob, Blake, Llewyn, Journi and Zayne Brown. Her siblings Allen (McKenna) Lang, Karen (Rex) Kummer and Elizabeth Mitchell also survive her.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, May 4th at 1:30 p.m. at Faith Lutheran Church, 1000 Tates Creek Rd, Lexington with the Reverend Dana Lockhart officiating. A mini-reception will follow. A second service will be held at First Lutheran Church in Greensboro, NC at 11:00 a.m. on May 18th. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to: Heifer International, Lutheran World Relief, Save the Children, Growing Together Preschool (Lexington, KY) or No Kid Hungry.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Published by Lexington Herald-Leader on May 3, 2024.
Peggy Burgio
Assistant Director of Student Crafts (1985-2008)
May 30, 2024
Margaret C. “Peggy” Burgio, 76, passed away peacefully on Thursday, May 30, 2024, in Lexington, KY. Born on January 6, 1948, in Cincinnati, OH, she was the cherished daughter of the late John and Caroline Combs. Peggy was preceded in death by her beloved husband, David E. Burgio, and her sister, Terry Combs. A proud alumna of the University of Kentucky, Peggy dedicated 22 years of her professional life as the Assistant Director of Student Crafts at Berea College, where her commitment and support of the Arts and Crafts community shone through. An avid traveler, Peggy and Dave enjoyed many, many adventures traveling the world together. In her retirement, Peggy found immense joy and fulfillment in her faith, devoting much of her time to volunteering at her church. Her dedication to her faith and commitment to kindness left a lasting impact on her community. Peggy is survived by her loving family: her son, Dr. David (Michelle) Burgio, Jr. of Liberty Township, OH; her daughter, Renee Burgio of Lexington, KY; and her three adored grandchildren, Lauren Taylor McDonald, William David McDonald, and Thalia Danielle (Max) Messmer. She was also a proud great-grandmother to Alice Ruth Messmer and Emmett Ralph Messmer. A gathering of family and friends to honor Peggy’s life will take place at 11am on Saturday, June 22, 2024, at Saint Paul Catholic Church in Lexington, KY. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Saint Paul Catholic Church. Peggy will be remembered for her unwavering faith, her dedication to her family, and her passion for nurturing the talents of young artisans. She will be deeply missed by all who knew her.
Clark Legacy Center – Nicholasville
Beverly Faye Cook
Finance Accounting Department (1970-1978)
Berea College Postmaster (1978-2023)
Aug. 11, 2024
Beverly Faye Cook of Berea, age 75, passed away peacefully on August 11, 2024. Better known as Granny Bev by all her friends and family.
She was a loving mother, sister, and grandmother. She recently retired from Berea College after 53 years of dedication. She was Postmaster for 47 of those years.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Fred and Mary Lou Mullins Cook and her husband Troy Goins.
Her memory will be carried on by her loving daughter, Lori (Scott) Lawson, her brother, Bruce Cook, her sister, Jean (Earnest) Robinson, and her grandchildren, William Blake Thorn, Keri Renae Thorn, and Kayden Lynn Lawson. She is also survived by a special uncle, Kenneth Mullins.
Memorial services will be at 5 pm, Sunday, August 18, 2024, at Lakes Funeral Home with Bro. Tony Horn officiating. The family will be accepting friends from 2 pm to 5 pm at the funeral home. Services will be livestreamed beginning at 5 pm at www.lakesfuneralhome.com
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Madison County Animal Shelter, 1386 Richmond Rd. N, Berea, KY 40403.
Rosemary Dreager
Office of Development (1999-2009)
July 25, 2024
Rosemary Schieve Dreager, 78, of Crab Orchard died Thursday, July 25, 2024 at Saint Joseph Hospital Lexington. She was a Philadelphia, PA native born May 8, 1946, daughter of the late Edward and Mary Smith Schieve, having moved to Berea from New Jersey 34 years ago. Rosemary was former Administrative Assistant for Christian Appalachian Project and Administrative Assistant for the Office of Development at Berea College. She was a devoted member of St. Clare Catholic Church having served on the building committee when the new sanctuary was constructed. Rosemary was the proud owner of Dreager Farm fulfilling the dream of being a farm owner.
Survivors include daughters Andrea Dreager, Lisa Dreager; siblings Kathy Schieve, Janice Hamersky; Edward Schieve (Mary), Joseph Schieve (Carmie), John Schieve (Maryann); grandson Brandon Dreager; as well as numerous relatives, friends and church family. In addition to her parents she was preceded in death by brother-in-law Leo Hamersky.
In accordance with Rosemary’s wishes, she was cremated and no service is scheduled at this time.
Leave condolences for the family, share a memory, light a memorial candle or plant a tree in a National Forest in Rosemary’s memory at www.reppertfuneralhome.com
Reppert Funeral Home and Cremation Service entrusted with arrangements.
Stephen D. Farmer ’77
Woodcraft (1997-2010)
June 13, 2024
Steve Farmer, age 69, husband to Lorene Napier Farmer, passed away suddenly Thursday June 13, 2024, at Saint Joseph Hospital in London, KY. He was born February 6, 1955, in Berea, KY to Jack & Vi Farmer. A Christian by faith, Steve enjoyed and took part in many things throughout his life. He was an avid hunter, hunting all over the country, a fisherman, an outdoorsman with no limits. He was devoted to and loved his family, had a kind nature, always thought of others first, loved having fun, joking around, and was always laughing. Steve enjoyed traveling, visiting several international destinations. He was a sponsor, host, and mentor to many foreign students at Berea College. He was a master wood worker retiring from Berea College Woodcraft having made furniture which is now all over the country including furniture at Boone Tavern Hotel in Berea, KY, Union Church, Berea City Hall, and the Madison County Public Library. Steve graduated from Berea College with his bachelor’s degree and went on to get his master’s at EKU in Industrial Arts. He was highly active in Berea Learn Shops and a super promoter of Berea Crafts. Steve was devoted to the Sister City program of Berea, KY, and Hokuto City, Japan. Having traveled there for the past 15 years with the Berea delegation, he was a wonderful Ambassador for Berea, the United States, and the Craft Industry. He has left a void that cannot be filled.
In addition to his wife and parents, Steve is survived by two brothers, Mike (Cindy) Farmer of Berea, KY, Jeff (Donna Jenkins) Farmer of Berea, KY, sisters-in-law Irene (Gerald) Alexander; Zora (John) Thomas and brother-in-law Ira Napier of Mt. Vernon, KY ; nieces and nephews, Leslie (Brandon) Lilly of Berea, KY, Sarah (Sean Morgan) Steele of Berea, KY, Jacob Begley of Mt. Vernon, KY, Courtney Rigsby of Mt. Vernon, KY, Cody Alexander of Mt. Vernon, KY, and Christy DeBorde of Mt. Vernon, KY. Also left to cherish his memory are aunts, uncles, great nieces and great nephews along with numerous beloved cousins and many, many friends.
Funeral service will be 1:00PM eastern time Tuesday June 18, 2024, at Davis & Powell Funeral Home with Rev. Kent Gilbert officiating. You may view the service live at www.davisandpowellfuneralhome.com Burial will follow in the Maretburg Cemetery in Mount Vernon, KY. Pallbearers are Bob Bagley, Mark Spencer, Jacob Begley, Bhawesh Mishra, Cody Alexander, Cecil Begley and André Mugnier. Honorary Pallbearers are Terry Fields, Anthony Holbrook, George Goodrich, Alonzo Williams, Jim Terrell, Willie Johnson, and Larry Frith. Visitation will be 4:00PM – 9:00PM Monday June 17, 2024, at the funeral home.
Steve strongly supported St Jude Children’s Hospital. Donations to them in his memory can be made at www.stjude.org/donate
Dr. Paul David Nelson ’65
History (1970-2005)
Sept. 8, 2024
Paul David Nelson, historian, died on September 8, 2024. He is survived by his beloved wife Rebecca P. Nelson. His two sons, Matthew David and Paul Christopher, preceded him in death, as did his parents George T. and Frances Priddy. He is survived by two brothers, Wade and Tommy, and one sister Peggy Dudley. He was born May 15, 1941, in Patrick County, Virginia, and grew up on a small family farm. He majored in history at Berea College. Graduating in 1965, he entered graduate school at Duke University and five years later was rewarded a Ph.D. degree in American Colonial and Military History.
David taught American History at Berea College for 37 years. In 1992 he was appointed Julian-Van Dusen Professor of American History and a year later received Berea’s highest faculty accolade, the Seabury Award for Excellence in Teaching. From 1992 to 2003 he served as chairman of the History Department. David was a Woodrow Wilson scholar in 1965, A Danforth Teaching-Intern in 1968-1969. He published eight books on the American War of Independence.
Memorials may be made to the Salvation Army, 736 West Main Street, Lexington, KY 40508; or Catholic Relief Services, 228 West Lexington Street, Baltimore, MD 20201.
Service for David will be announced at a later date. Arrangements handled by Kerr Brothers Funeral Home – Main St.
1930s
Rose Wheeler ’38
Obituary unavailable
1940s
Beryl King ’41
July 2, 2024
Beryl Wilson King died at home in Newark, DE on July 2, 2024 at the age of 103. Beryl was born on January 12, 1921, in Jefferson City, TN to Earl and Rhoda Wilson. She and her three sisters and two brothers were raised in Bald Creek, NC. She graduated from Berea College in 1941 and worked for one year as a Home Economics Teacher in Burnsville, NC. In the fall of 1941, she returned to Berea to work as a manager of one of their industries. It was then that she met her future husband, John Robert (Bob) King and they were married October 16, 1942. After moving to Charleston IL, and Rochester, NY, Beryl and Bob moved to Newark, where Bob joined the faculty of the Music Department of the University of Delaware. Their home was open to visiting composers, friends, and students, many of whom became lifelong friends.
Beryl was an accomplished seamstress and knitter, donating her talents to the Needlework Guild of America and the St. Thomas’s Prayer Shawl Ministry, among others. She also took up quilting, creating works of art for family and friends. She also served as a docent at Winterthur during their Spring Tours for many years.
Beryl was an active member of St. Thomas’s Episcopal Church, serving in a variety of ministries. She was chair of the Altar Guild for many years, served on many of the ministry committees, was the second woman elected to the Vestry, eventually serving as both Junior and Senior Warden. She was often found organizing various Parish Pot-Luck suppers, and worked in the kitchen for many events, most notably the Antiques Show, also serving as Chair of this major parish fundraiser.
Beryl was active in the Episcopal Church in Delaware. A member of the Episcopal Church Women (ECW), twice she represented the Diocese at the Triennial meeting, held at the same time as General Convention, and was present when the Ordination of Women was approved in 1976. She was also secretary of Diocesan Council and a member of the Standing Committee. She baked pies for St. Michael’s Day School in Wilmington, DE and also served as coordinator for Hope Dining Room for several years – feeding our brothers in sisters in need.
One of Beryl’s most gratifying ministries was driving cancer patients for treatment. A survivor herself, she understood the importance of offering assistance to those undergoing this type of care.
Beryl and Bob began traveling after his retirement from the University, going to Great Britain, Alaska and on several cross country train trips. She also went on Mission Trips to Puerto Rico and Costa Rica with her sister and brother-in-law. After Bob’s death, she traveled to Russia, Norway, Spain and Portugal, Italy, France, Nova Scotia, Central Europe, and Australia, Fiji and New Zealand.
Beryl is preceded in death by her husband, J. Robert King, Jr.; her sisters Ruth Caldwell and Jan Laughridge, and her brother Ron Wilson. She is survived by her sister Margaret Young (Milton), her brother W. Deane Wilson (Marilyn); her daughters, Beverly King, Margaret Zeller, Helen Spence (Stan) and Barbara Buckingham (Richard); her grandchildren Michelle Cohen (Jason), Jackson Gilman (Lauren), Heather Lopez, Matthew Zeller, Robert Spence (Melissa) and Greg Spence (Katsy); and ten great-grandchildren.
Leonora Green ’46
Aug. 10, 2023
Obituary unavailable
Jessie Hibbitts Beasley Acad. ’45, ’49
May 26, 2024
Jessie Hibbitts Beasley December 1, 1926 May 26, 2024 Entries Well done good and faithful servant. Jessie Hibbitts Beasley passed peacefully to be with the Lord on May 26, 2024, at the age of 97. Mrs. Beasley was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend to all who came in contact with her. She will be remembered for her gentle manner, her love of family, her wisdom, and her integrity. Mrs. Beasley spent many decades fulfilling her strong desire to educate and nurture the elementary school children of Paducah, KY while working as a teacher, principal, and counselor in the public school system. The youngest sibling of 10 children, Mrs. Beasley was born December 1, 1926, in Jenkins, Kentucky to the late William Ayers and Mattie Meade Hibbitts. Her father and brothers worked in the nearby coal mines of eastern Kentucky. As a young girl, every morning before school she would enjoy taking her favorite horse Charlie for a vigorous ride while her long red braids flowed behind her. After graduating from Berea College, Mrs. Beasley took a job as a social worker for the state of Kentucky in Frankfort. She was later transferred to Paducah, KY where she helped place babies for adoption. It was in the foyer of the Columbia Theater in Paducah where she met her future husband and the love of her life Walter “Dub” Beasley. She and Mr. Beasley were stalwarts of the Paducah community, where her husband ran the historic Beasley Monument Company. Mr. and Mrs. Beasley were long-time members of the Broadway Church of Christ. Mrs. Beasley became a second-grade teacher at Clark Elementary School. This started a five-decade long career in the Paducah City School System. She served in various roles in the education system including as a teacher, a school counselor, and a testing coordinator for identification of learning disabilities. She was Director of Project VIII, a joint Paducah-Louisville Dropout Prevention Program. Eventually, Mrs. Beasley became the principal of McNabb Elementary School. She was a Board-Certified Clinical Counselor. After retirement from the school system, Mrs. Beasley continued to work with children as a counselor at Child Watch. Through her volunteer efforts, she became the recipient of the JC Penney Golden Rule Award. In her free time, Mrs. Beasley enjoyed being with her family, boating on Kentucky Lake, and playing tennis and bridge with her friends. She maintained a lifetime love for the mountains of eastern Kentucky, and she never failed to make annual trips to her childhood home to visit family and attend Berea college reunions. In addition to her parents Mrs. Beasley is preceded in death by her five brothers and her four sisters, as well as her husband of fifty-five years, Walter L. Beasley. Jessie is survived by her two daughters, Jennifer Beasley Whitfield (Tom) and Rebecca Meade Beasley Johnson; her two grandchildren, Katherine Whitfield Long (Scott) and Thomas Tyree Whitfield (Helen); and her three great grandchildren, Kathleen and Merritt Long and Thomas Whitfield. Mrs. Beasley is also survived by many loving nieces and nephews. There will be a graveside funeral on Thursday, May 30, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. at Maplelawn Park Cemetery, Paducah, KY. The family would like to thank the incredible caregivers at Woodcrest and Alive Hospice in Nashville, TN.
Alice Mildred Hook Colley ’49
Aug. 26, 2024
Alice M. Colley, 96, of Alexandria, Virginia passed away peacefully on Monday, August 26, 2004, at the Goodwin House Small House Health Care Center. She was a devoted wife and mother.
Alice was born in Williamstown, Kentucky and grew up on a small, rural farm. She graduated from the nursing school at Berea College in Kentucky (Class of 1949), which is where she met and married her husband, Wilfred Raymond (“Ray”) Colley, who predeceased her in 2011.
Alice worked as a nurse at the Berea College hospital, and at hospitals in Roanoke, Virginia and Columbus, Georgia. She and Ray moved to Alexandria in 1955, where she gave birth that year to her first child. Alice and Ray were among the earliest residents of the Waynewood neighborhood in the Mt. Vernon area of Fairfax County, Virginia, where they raised their two sons. She was also the dedicated caretaker for her elderly mother who lived with them.
Alice was an active supporter of Ray’s political endeavors, and of her sons’ various engagements and pursuits as they were growing up, attending all manner of meetings, fundraisers, concerts, programs and events. She and Ray enjoyed travel to visit family and interesting locations around the United States, as well as Europe. She was also an avid crossword puzzle devotee.
Alice and Ray relocated in 2007 to The Virginian in Fairfax County, and Alice moved to Goodwin House in 2022.
Alice is survived by her son Mark and his wife Deborah Harsch, her son David, and her granddaughter Arden. She will be interred alongside Ray at Quantico National Cemetery, Triangle, Virginia. Memorial gifts to Berea College will be appreciated.
Robert Roy Lang ’49
Obituary unavailable
Fannie Owens, RN ’49
Obituary unavailable
1950s
Donal A. Funkhouser ’50
Aug. 3, 2024
Dr. Donal Addison Funkhouser of Winchester, Virginia, passed away on August 3, 2024, at his family home. Dr. Funkhouser was born on December 11, 1929, in Conicville, Virginia to Luther and Elma Funkhouser. He graduated from Mount Jackson Triplett High School in 1946, Berea College in Kentucky in 1950, and from the Virginia Commonwealth University’s Dental School in Richmond, Virginia in 1954. Dr. Funkhouser served in the U.S. Navy as a dentist at Portsmouth Naval Hospital from 1956 through 1958. Following his time in the military, Dr. Funkhouser fulfilled his career goal when he opened his dental practice in Winchester in 1958. He had a passion for delivering affordable dental care to all and often provided pro-bono emergency dental care and dental screenings. Dr. Funkhouser served his community as a dentist until retiring in 2014.
Dr. Funkhouser is survived by his loving wife, Chrystal Funkhouser, with whom he was married for over 72 years; sons Steven Funkhouser and Bradley Funkhouser, and Steven’s wife, Denise Funkhouser; and his granddaughter, Juliana Funkhouser.
Dr. Funkhouser was preceded in death by his son, David Funkhouser.
Dr. Funkhouser was an active member of the Winchester community and enjoyed going to dances with his wife. He will be fondly remembered as a dentist, dancer, and dependable member of the community.
Please visit obituaries and tribute wall at ompsfuneralhome.com
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Cherry Davenport Kelly ’51
July 17, 2024
Cherry Joan Cook Davenport Kelly, 93, of Louisville passed away on July 17, 2024, at The Legacy at English Station. She was born in the same home as her mother on January 25, 1931, in Waco, TX to Alfred “Barbara” Margaret Ledwell Cook and George “Jack” Orville Cook.
Cherry’s childhood was chaotic, but her beloved Aunt Mamie (Bessie Mae Ledwell Vesey) provided devoted love, stability and security. She and her mother moved many times and for several years were in a carnival. She attended 13 different schools but was always an excellent student, even skipping a grade. She attended high school at Oak Ridge High School in Oak Ridge, TN while high security work was being performed there for the Manhattan Project. (Badges were required to move in and out of the city.) Cherry was captain of the girls’ basketball team, which a Knoxville newspaper referred to as “Cherry’s Cookies”. After the war, Cherry was one of four students selected to travel to Pennsylvania to discuss the peaceful use of nuclear power.
Cherry entered Berea College when only 16. There she met Roy Dae Davenport, the love of her life. Cherry and Roy treasured their time at Berea, building rich, lifelong friendships. Cherry graduated with a Bachelors in Biology on June 4, 1951 and married Roy in Danforth Chapel on the Berea campus later the same day. To add excitement to an already momentous day, they were in a car accident that evening, but reached Cumberland Falls for their honeymoon unharmed.
Cherry and Roy moved to Ary, Kentucky where they both worked at Homeplace Hospital and Clinic – Cherry as Med Tech in charge of lab and x-ray functions, and Roy as the business manager. Soon after starting their family, they moved to Louisville, where Cherry continued her medical career in the lab of pediatricians House, Nicholas, Holmes & McCleary.
Cherry dearly loved the natural world and found it a source of unending delight and wonder. This passion led her to environmental activism tackling issues like the open burning ban and the first Free Bus Day for TARC. She worked for the Louisville/Jefferson County Community Development Cabinet and was the Executive Director of Action for Clean Air, and Strategies for Environmental Control. She worked for the Commonwealth of Kentucky as a Senior Environmentalist, developing solid waste management plans with county judges and fiscal courts. Cherry was even licensed to run a waste management facility, although she never did. In the 1970’s, Cherry joined Mayor Harvey Sloane’s Kitchen Cabinet, and also served on the National Board for Handicap Accessibility. She was active in the League of Women Voters and was named a Kentucky Colonel.
Cherry was an enthusiastic, lifelong learner and enjoyed putting new knowledge to service. She volunteered at the Louisville Zoo, the Blackacre State Nature Preserve, the Kentucky Center for the Arts and the Reading House for the Blind. Cherry also served as Board member and volunteer for the Floyds Fork Environmental Association. She was always ready to roll up her sleeves for a rivershed clean-up. Cherry was a competitive paddle tennis player in college and remained an excellent ping pong player into her 90s. She and Roy were avid bridge players and held life-long friendships with many members of their bridge clubs. She loved playing almost any type of game, being with family and traveling with them throughout the world.
Cherry was a member of Harvey Browne Memorial Presbyterian Church for over 50 years, participating in numerous groups and activities from the softball team and Harvey Bees square dancing group to her Women’s Circle.
Cherry was predeceased by her husband Roy, sister Judy Cook Irby, brothers Ronnie Cook and Larry Cook, mother Margaret Cook, father Jack Cook, stepmother Mildred Cook and great aunt and uncle Bessie and Roy Vesey. Cherishing her memory are her children Donna (Alec) Smythe, Marsha Davenport (Margaret Leigh), Nancy (Jim) Rissler, Steve (Anne) Davenport, 10 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren as well as a large extended family and countless friends.
She will be deeply missed by all and loved for generations to come.
Her family wishes to thank The Legacy at English Station for two years’ of loving care that allowed Cherry to live life to the fullest despite dementia. And, we deeply appreciate the support Hosparus offered Cherry and the family during her final days.
Her funeral service will be held at Harvey Browne Memorial Presbyterian Church, 311 Browns Lane, Louisville, KY 40207 on Saturday, November 30, 2024 at 11 am. Visitation will be at the church prior to the service from 9:30 – 11 am.
Donations in Cherry’s memory may be made to Berea College or Harvey Browne Memorial Presbyterian Church.
LTC James Thomas Medley ’52
Aug. 6, 2024
Obituary unavailable
Dr. John M. Ramsay ’52
May 8, 2024
Ramsay, John Martin passed away on Wednesday, May 8, 2024 at his residence in St Louis, Missouri at the age of 94. John was born on April 9, 1930 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania to the late John Gates Ramsay and Gertrude Eleanor Martin Ramsay. He is survived by his third wife, Bernice Meyer, two sons, Martin Ramsay and Loren Ramsay, and many beloved grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Services: A Celebration of Life will be held at Samuel United Church of Christ, 320 North Forsyth Blvd., in Clayton, MO on Saturday, May 18 at 11:30 a.m. followed by a light lunch. A full obituary and online guestbook can be found at HughesFuneralAlternatives.com.
Rose Moore Ramsay ’52
June 15, 2024
Rose Moore Ramsay, age 92, of Berea, Kentucky, passed away Saturday, June 15, 2024, at Hospice Compassionate Care Center in Richmond, Kentucky. She was surrounded all that last week by loving family and friends, caring for her and singing to her as she left this world to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for all of eternity. Rose was born July 5,1931, in Greene County, Tennessee, daughter of Edward Moore and Lochiel Riggs Moore. She attended Berea College, in Berea, Kentucky, where she met the love of her life, Bill Ramsay, when they became involved in the drama department, both performing and working on sets and costumes. They married in 1952, and lived in various places including Oak Ridge TN and Atlanta GA before moving back to Berea with their six children in 1970. After retirement in 1995, they lived in Edisto Beach, South Carolina, for several years, then came back to Berea to stay in 2006. Rose enjoyed music, gardening, reading books, sewing, and working crossword puzzles; and she loved being in the presence of children. She was a hard worker but knew how to relax and laugh and have fun. Rose’s caring nature and generous heart made a difference in every community she lived in. She was a gracious hostess who loved to organize dinners for family and friends, always welcoming others in. And she sure knew how to cook for a crowd and set a lovely table! Rose cared passionately about people. She welcomed numerous students and international guests into their home. In the 1960’s she was involved in the civil rights movement, served on the Board of the International Childbirth Education Association, and was a certified teacher in adult literacy. She also loved teaching children to read. Rose cared about animals, rescuing any in distress, and joining in the sea turtle watch during her years at the beach. Rose cared about her faith, always involved in her church teaching a Sunday School class, leading youth, organizing membership, and working for missions. She faithfully studied the Bible and wrote in her journals, which in 2018 became valuable as details for their autobiography Life Lines: The Chronicle of a Marriage and Family by Bill and Rose Ramsay. Rose is survived by her beloved husband of 71 years, William (Bill) Romig Ramsay, who she often referred to as “my good man”, and by her two younger brothers Kenneth Moore and Wayne Moore. Rose was a devoted mother to her six children: Bill E. Ramsay (Anne), Laura Compton (Ralph), Stephen G. Ramsay (Kathy), John R. Ramsay (Eileen), James M. Ramsay (Shawn), and Jennifer Rose Escobar (Alfredo). She was also mother to many more young people who spent time in her kitchen over the years, sampling her tea and tasty treats. Rose delighted in her 22 grandchildren and had a hand in raising them as well! She and Bill took many of them on various trips both at home and abroad. Now there are 35 great-grandchildren, and she has always prayed for each one of them by name. The countless lives Rose touched and inspired will remember her. She leaves a legacy of ncredible faith-centered hospitality, advocacy, activism, love, compassion, and strength.
Funeral services will be 2:00PM Monday June 24, 2024 at Berea United Methodist Church with Rev. Dr. Timo Karvonen officiating. Visitation will be 5:00PM – 8:00PM Sunday June 23, 2024 at Davis & Powell Funeral Home. www.davisandpowellfuneralhome.com
Memorial contributions can be made to: Berea United Methodist Church, 101 Fee Street Berea, KY 40403 and Hospice Care Plus, 350 Isaacs Lane Richmond, KY 40475.
Dorothy Obi ’53
Mar. 4, 2024
No obituary available
Jeanette Thurman ’53
June 20, 2024
Jeanette Thurman, 91, of Shelbyville passed away Thursday, June 20, 2024 in Shelbyville, Kentucky.
She was born in Franklin, North Carolina and graduated from Biltmore, North Carolina High School in 1950 and from Berea College School of Nursing in 1953. Jeanette, a registered nurse, worked at Berea College Hospital. After marrying Arnold and moving to Shelbyville she worked at King’s Daughters Hospital and then worked as a realtor and in home improvement. She was a Kentucky Colonel. She was a member of Christiansburg Baptist Church and the Christiansburg Homemakers Club.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Arnold P. Thurman, her parents, Eula and Herman Carl Robison and her sister, Helen Robison.
She is survived by her sons and daughters-in-law, Doug and Karen Thurman of Louisville, Chuck and Sue Thurman of Lawrenceburg, Tom Thurman and Lynn Motley of Lexington, her 6 grandchildren, 7 great grandchildren, her sisters, Hazel Moss and Ruth Blaine both of Asheville, NC, Mary Ann Hyatt of Hayseville, NC and brother, Carl Robison.
Celebration of Life for Jeanette will be 11:00 A.M. Saturday, June 29, 2024 at the Christiansburg Baptist Church, 1037 Frys-Oldburg Road, Bagdad, KY 40003. Visitation will be after 9:00 A.M. until time of service.
Expressions of sympathy may be made to Christiansburg Baptist Church.
Shannon Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
Donald G. Martin ’54
July 1, 2024
No obituary available
Joe Douglas Powell ’54
May 26, 2024
No obituary available
Ted Rogers ’54
Aug. 1, 2024
Robert Theodore Rogers, affectionately known as “Ted,” passed away on August 1, 2024, leaving behind a remarkable legacy of dedication, service, and community spirit. Born on August 16, 1933, Ted’s life was marked by his unwavering commitment to his faith, family, and community.
Ted “Fireballer” Rogers first made headlines as a star pitcher for the Forest Hill Bulldogs, leading his team to victory against the formidable Hinton Bobcats in a memorable high school baseball game.
After graduating from Berea College in 1954 with a Bachelors Degree in Agriculture, Ted served his country with honor in the US Army for two years. Upon his return, he began a successful career with the Southern States Cooperative Farm Supply. His entrepreneurial spirit soon led him to own and operate Southern States Rogers Farm Supply in Hinton. Venturing into petroleum distribution, Ted founded R. T. Rogers Oil Co., Inc., in 1971. Under his leadership the company grew from three employees to a thriving business of over 100 employees before he retired in 2008.
Ted was an esteemed member of the community and served on numerous boards throughout West Virginia, including Kiwanis, Jaycees, West Virginia Oil Marketers & Grocers Association, National Bank of Summers, Horizon Bancorp, WV Power Company, City National Bank, Summers County Hospital, WV Parkways Commission, Hinton Area Foundation and the Concord University Board of Governors. His commitment to his community was unwavering.
For 65 years, Ted was a devoted deacon, treasurer and teacher at the Fairview Baptist Church in Forest Hill, WV where his faith and leadership touched many lives. His journey has now led him to his Savior’s embrace, where he will hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:23).
He was preceded in death by his parents, Mark and Kathryn Rogers, his wife, Clarene Rogers, and brother Neil (Dottie) Rogers.
He is survived by his loving wife, Susan Rogers, and his children: Doug (Kim) Rogers of Charlotte, NC, Greg (Lori) Rogers of Hinton, WV, Jan (Tom) Crouthamel of Madison, VA, Jennifer (Phil) Riggleman of Beverly, WV, Meg Hodge of Rocky Mount, VA.
He is also survived by his 17 grandchildren: Charity Schrader of Matthews, NC, Rachael (John) McGee of Morgantown, WV; RP (Breanne) Rogers of Bellevue, WA, Jill (Jacob) Trout of Nimitz, WV; Zachary (Mindy) Crouthamel of Lynchburg, VA; Luke (Maggie) Crouthamel of Ruckersville, VA; Kathryn Crouthamel of Madison, VA; Brooke (Jonathan) Harvill of New York, NY; Brianne (Quinn) Walker of Charlottesville, VA; Beau Crouthamel of Madison, VA; Catie (James) Gainer of Louisville, KY; Isaac (Bethany) Riggleman of Beverly, WV; Caleb (Amanda) Riggleman of Murfreesboro, NC; Adam (Shannon) Riggleman of Savannah, GA; Susan (Jacques) Guillembet of Elkins, WV; Alex (Crystal) Woodward of Yulee, FL and Sydney Hodge of Farmville, NC.
He is survived by 25 Great-Grandchildren: Madison, Mack, and Macie McGee; Theophilis, Alem, Aidah, Zadok (+1) Rogers; Dawson, Oakley, Eleanor, Finegan, and Ranger Trout; Emmalyn Crouthamel; Clayton, Clara, and Caroline Crouthamel; Hallie, Landon, and Bo Gainer; Ava and Sadie Riggleman; Jace Riggleman; and Taylor, Peyton, and Cameron Woodward.
Funeral services will be held at 3:00 pm on Sunday, August 4, 2024 at First Baptist Church in Hinton, WV with Pastor Charles Drake officiating. A private burial will follow at Fairview Church Cemetery in Forest Hill. Friends may visit from 1:00 pm until the time of service at First Baptist Church.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to any of the following: Victory 127 (v127.org/give), 732 Covered Bridge Drive, Madison, Va 22727, Hospice of Southern WV (hospiceofsouthernwv.org) PO Box 1472, Beckley, WV 25801 Camp Summers of WV, 711 4-H Camp Road, Forest Hill, WV 24935
To plant Memorial Trees in memory of Robert Theodore “Ted” Rogers, please click here to visit our Sympathy Store.
Ledford L. Austin ’55
May 18, 2024
Ledford Louis Austin, 91, died peacefully surrounded by family on Saturday, May 18, 2024. A native of Lenoir NC, Led graduated from Lenoir High School then Berea College. While pursuing a degree in political science from Duke University, he met his future wife Sally Steinfeldt with whom he was married for 58 years. Together they raised two sons, James “Jim” Gordon (Newland, NC) and John Scott (Raleigh). As a young man, Ledford served in the Army Reserves attaining the rank of captain. Led was infinitely caring and able to act on his compassion through his career in the Department of Housing and Urban Development where he worked for over 30 years. For his dedication to the greater good of all people, he was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine. Led was a prominent community member in Greensboro participating in a number of book clubs, the Rotary Club, and volunteering with the League of Women Voters, Urban Ministry, and Greensboro Housing Authority. He also enjoyed tutoring young students in math and reading. Ledford is survived in life by his sons; daughter-in-law Betsy Brooke; siblings Louise Roe, Asilee Nelson, Kate Wynn, Tom Austin, Kyle Austin; sister-in-law Jean Steinfeldt; grandchildren Jack, Allison, Harper, Wren; and dog Feather. The family is thankful for the care provided by the third-floor east nurses and techs of Wesley Long Hospital, Robin and John Rettew and other kind neighbors, and Couples’ Bookclub friends.
The date of a celebration of life will be forthcoming. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be offered in memory of Ledford to the charity of your choice.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Published by Greensboro News & Record on May 22, 2024.
James Edward Hyder Fd. ’50, ’55
May 27, 2024
James “Jim” Hyder, age 91, of Los Alamos, NM, passed away peacefully on May 27, 2024.
James was preceded in death by his wife Joni Hyder and son David Hyder.
He is survived by his daughters Carol Leon and Kristi Lynn Cardin; his two step-sons Mark and Matthew Wachter; as well as numerous nieces, nephews, granddaughters, grandson and great grandchildren.
No services will be held and in lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to the Wounded Warrior Project.
The family of James Hyder has entrusted the care of their loved one to DeVargas Funeral Home & Crematory of the beautiful Espanola Valley. www.devargasfuneral.com 505-747-7477
Billy Edd Wheeler ’55
Sept. 16, 2024
Billy Edd Wheeler, 91, of Swannanoa, passed away peacefully at his home on Monday, September 16, 2024. He was the son of Dutch Perdue and Mary Isabelle Wheeler Stewart. He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Mary Bannerman Wheeler, his daughter Lucy Wheeler (Ted White) and his son, Travis Wheeler (Sarah Daubs). He is also survived by his brother Robert Stewart (Velra Stewart).
Mr. Wheeler was born in Whitesville, West Virginia. At the age of 16, a Presbyterian missionary visited the coal mining town of High Coal, where he was living and suggested he attend school in Swannanoa, North Carolina. Soon thereafter, sight unseen, Mr. Wheeler got on a bus with $1.00 in his pocket to travel to North Carolina. He graduated from the high school division of Warren Wilson College in 1951. Mr. Wheeler continued his education on the same campus, graduating from Warren Wilson Junior College in 1953 and then Berea College, in Berea, Kentucky, in 1955. He has said many times that he was born in West Virginia and re-born at Warren Wilson College. That Warren Wilson College saved his life. He possessed a God given artistic talent that was able to be nurtured and fortified on that special campus in the Swannanoa Valley. It was also the spot where he met his future wife and the love of this life, Mary Bannerman. Mr. Wheeler served in the Navy as a student pilot, then as the Alumni Director at Berea College, before enrolling in the Yale School of Drama, where he majored in playwriting. Mr. Wheeler was encouraged to enroll in the Yale School of Drama by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright and novelist, Thornton Wilder. Mr. Wilder was visiting the campus of Berea College during the production of his own play, Our Town, when he met Mr. Wheeler.
Mr. Wheeler was blessed with an amazingly creative spirit and was a true artist in all its forms. While at Warren Wilson College, he learned to paint from his future mother-in-law, Lucile Patton Bannerman, wife of then president Dr. Arthur Bannerman. She would take him with her to paint en plein air in the rolling fields and pastures around Warren Wilson. His love of painting would continue throughout his life until his sight prevented him from doing so only a few years ago. His art has been displayed locally at locations including Blue Spiral Gallery in Asheville and the Red House Gallery in Black Mountain and at Berea College. Not to be incumbered by just one art form, Mr. Wheeler was also a talented wood worker and sculptor.
His creative spirit would lead to an award-winning writing career which spans decades. His writing talents were given life in many forms, from plays and musicals, to poetry, novels, humor books, a memoir and of course, song writing. Mr. Wheeler was the author-composer of a dozen plays and musicals, including the long running Hatfields & McCoys in Beckley, West Virginia, Young Abe Lincoln in Lincoln City, Indiana, and Johnny Appleseed in Mansfield, Ohio. His folk opera, Song of the Cumberland Gap, performed at the Cumberland Gap National Park, was commissioned by the National Geographic Society.
Mr. Wheeler’s poetry was first published in 1969 in his book, Song of a Woods Colt. That would be followed by another book of poetry in 1977, Travis and Other Poems of the Swannanoa Valley. Mr. Wheeler loved humor and was known for telling Dad Jokes before that became “a thing.” When his children were younger, the dinner table included many an evening of eye-rolling and groaning as he regaled them with yet another one of his jokes. So, it should not be surprising that he has authored or co-authored six books of humor, with Laughter of Appalachia celebrating a 13th printing in the early 2000’s. He debuted his memoir, Hotter than a Pepper Sprout, in 2018 to a standing room only crowd in Kittredge Theater on the campus of Warren Wilson. The event was moderated by two of his dearest friends, Doug Orr, President Emeritus of Warren Wilson College and the Grammy award winning singer-songwriter, Janis Ian.
In spite of all of this, Mr. Wheeler may be most remembered for his song writing ability. He has received 13 awards from The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) for songs recorded by Judy Collins, The Kingston Trio, Jefferson Airplane, Jim Croce, John Denver, Neil Young, Florence and the Machine, Kathy Mattea, Nancy Sinatra, Kenny Rogers, and Elvis Pressley, to name only a few. His songs have been performed by at least 200 other artists and counting. Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash made his song, Jackson, iconic during their performances over the years. It was featured in the hit movie Walk the Line, where it was performed by Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon. Country Music Television voted Jackson one of the Ten Greatest Love Songs of Country Music. Coward of the County, recorded by Kenny Rogers, was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance in 1980. It was later made into a television movie in 1981. It went to number one on the Billboard Chart and spent six weeks at number one in Canada, the United Kingdom and Ireland. Elvis Pressley recorded two of Mr. Wheeler’s songs, It’s Midnight and Never Again. The album, Promised Land, which included It’s Midnight, went to number one on the Billboard Charts. Mr. Wheeler himself recorded 13 albums and had the most chart success with his single, Ode to the Little Brown Shack Out Back, which made it to number three in 1964. His songs have now sold over 58 million units. He has been inducted in to the Nashville Songwriter’s Hall of Fame, the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame and the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame. In 2014 he was the recipient of The Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the highest award in the state of North Carolina conferred by the Governor. He has received honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degrees from Berea College in 2004 and then Warren Wilson College in 2011.
Mr. Wheeler was a generous soul, a renaissance man and true lover of life. His family was one of his greatest joys and he loved the simple pleasure of spending time with them. He enjoyed taking long walks and picking the guitar with his close friend Chet Atkins when they were both in Nashville, surf fishing at the Outer Banks with his good friend, Charlie Stafford, playing tennis with Teresa Tatham, playing golf with Rodney Lytle and Hugh Himan. He, along with Doug Orr and Richard Bellando, relished performing as Elvis impersonators in the world famous (in their own minds!) group called The Elvi. And of course, he loved his dogs that were always by his side, Bubbie, Gracie Pearl and Sheba.
Mr. Wheeler’s life story is an inspiration to so many. He will be dearly missed but never forgotten as his lifetime legacy of songs, plays, books and artwork will remain with us forever.
The Wheeler family would like to thank CarePartners Hospice for their loving care in the last months of his life and specifically, Rebecca, Tonia, Richard, Julia, Amber and Tammy. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Warren Wilson College.
A memorial service will be announced at a later date.
Posted online on September 17, 2024
Joyce Bryan ’56
April 14, 2024
Joyce Ann Grogan Bryan, 90, passed away on April 14, 2024. She was born in Benham, KY on December 20, 1933, to the late Raymond and Roxie Templin Grogan. Joyce graduated from Benham High School in 1952 and attended Berea College where she received a BA Degree in Psychology in 1956. She was a loyal supporter of both Benham High School and Berea College and was proud to have attended both schools. Joyce chose to further her education by earning a master’s degree in counseling from the University of South Carolina.
She married her husband of 67 years, Bob Bryan, in 1956. Joyce adored Bob, often telling people that he was the best!
Joyce worked as a teacher early in her career in Benham, KY and in Columbia, SC. She was a guidance counselor at Bowling Green High School, Cumberland High School, and Southeast Community College. She also taught psychology and held the registrar position at Southeast.
Bob and Joyce moved their family to Frankfort in 1975, as she received a position with the Kentucky Highter Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA). She spent the remainder of her career there and retired in 1996 as the Director of Student Grant Programs.
In addition to her loving husband, Bob Bryan, Joyce is survived by her daughters, Rachel (Keith) Cox and Kristi (Tim) Hammons; her grandchildren, Bryan (Erin) Cox, Lindsey Cox, Trevor Hammons, and Gregory Hammons; brothers-in-law, Tom Myers and Norman (Ginger) Bryan; a sister-in-law, Aldeva Bryan; and three generations of nieces and nephews.
Joyce was preceded in death by her parents, Raymond and Roxie Templin Grogan; a brother, Charlie (Betty) Grogan; and her sisters, Helen Parks and Peg Myers.
A Memorial Service will be held 2:00pm, Saturday, April 27, 2024, at South Frankfort Presbyterian Church with a Memorial Visitation from 12:00p until the time of service, at the church .
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests Memorial Contributions be made to the Remembrance Trust Fund at South Frankfort Presbyterian Church, 224 Steele St, Frankfort, KY 40601.
Hi Woong (Hugh) Kang ’56
July 16, 2024
To the History Community,
With great sadness we share the news that Hugh H. W. Kang 강희웅, a trailblazing Korea historian in the United States and Emeritus Professor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, died on Tuesday, July 16, 2024, at the age of 93. His funeral service is taking place as we speak in South Korea at Gachon University Gil Medical Center.
With his magnanimous spirit and his passionate drive, Hugh Kang helped to establish the field of Korean studies in the United States. He received his B.A. from Berea College in 1956, his M.A. from the University of Chicago in 1958, and his Ph.D. from the University of Washington in 1964. As a scholar of ancient and medieval Korea, he was one of the first Korea historians to become a faculty member in a history department in the United States, when he joined the University of Hawaii at Manoas Department of History in 1965. Hugh Kang was also a principal figure in the founding of the Center for Korean Studies at the university in 1972, the first of its kind outside of South Korea.
Hugh Kang penned and translated some of the most important foundational books in premodern Korean history, including The Silla Annals of the Samguk Sagi, The Koguryo Annals of the Samguk Sagi, The Essentials of Koryŏ History, Sources of Korean Tradition, and Institutional Borrowing: The Case of the Chinese Civil Service System in Early Koryŏ.
Hugh Kangs brilliance, generosity, and friendship will be dearly missed. He is survived by his two daughters and their families. A formal obituary will soon be shared.
— The Center for Korean Studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa
Sarah G. Gouge McKee ’56
April 6, 2024
Sarah G. McKee, Kingsport, passed away on April 6, 2024. She was born on September 28, 1935, to the late Sam and Lola Dellinger Gouge. Sarah graduated from Berea College and East Tennessee State University with degrees in History and Political Science and her interest in these fields continued throughout her life. After teaching in Michigan and Florida, Sarah moved to Kingsport, taught in, and retired from Kingsport City Schools. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by a sister, Helen G. McKinney. Those left to cherish Sarah’s memory are her son, Ed McKee (Rebecca) of Winston Salem, NC; daughter, Genia McKee (Larry Swartz) of Lancaster, KY; much loved grandsons, Sam McKee of Boulder, Colorado and Garrett McKee of Asheville, NC; a special nephew, Norb McKinney; several in-laws, nieces, and nephews. A private family service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, anyone interested in a memorial please consider donating to a Hospice or a charity of one’s choice. To share memories and condolences with the family please visit www.oakhillfh.com . The care of Sarah G. McKee and her family has been entrusted to the staff of Oak Hill Funeral & Cremation Services.
Barbara A. Power ’56
June 4, 2024
Barbara Ann Byrd Power, 90, of Berea died Tuesday, June 4, 2024 at U.K. Medical Center in Lexington. She was a Bakersville, NC native born November 26, 1933, daughter of the late Marshall and Genevia McKinney Byrd, Berea College Graduate, and resident of Berea most of her life. Barbara touched many lives during her career as friend, confidant and mentor to Berea College students while serving as Head of Circulation at Berea College Hutchins Library. She was a member of First Christian Church Berea (Disciples of Christ).
In her spare time Barbara enjoyed gardening and was widely know for her beautiful flower gardens and manicured yard. She also enjoyed cooking, traveling and especially spending time with her grandchildren.
Barbara was very active in community organizations including SaraCare, New Opportunity School for Women, Kawanis, Mountain Maternal Health League, and So That All May Play.
Survivors include her children Kevin Power (Suzanne), Heather Schofield, Andrea Power (Shawn Ridley); grandchildren Marleigh, Paul, Hannah, Rylea; niece Mary Workman; nephews Harry Ramey, Charles Workman; as well as numerous relatives, friends and church family. In addition to her parents she was preceded in death by her loving husband Paul Power; son-in-law David Schofield; siblings Osie, Argie, Patrick.
In accordance with Barbara’s wishes, she was cremated and a Memorial Service will be held at a later date with the day, time and location to be announced.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations to SaraCare, New Opportunity School for Women or So That All May Play-The Matt Ross Fund.
Leave condolences for the family, share a memory, light a memorial candle or plant a tree in a National Forest in Barbara’s memory at www.reppertfuneralhome.com
Reppert Funeral Home and Cremation Service entrusted with arrangements.
Keith Jones ’57
Obituary unavailable
Wilma Riddle Lambert ’57
June 20, 2024
Wilma Riddle Stallard Lambert passed away peacefully June 20, 2024. She liked music, drives through town and seeing family and friends. Wilma lived in Wise County, Virginia until 1996 when she moved to Abingdon, Virginia.
Wilma enjoyed a long career as a teacher and guidance counselor at JJ Kelly High School in Wise, Virginia.
Wilma was preceded in death by her father Lloyd Riddle, mother Margie Riddle, 5 brothers, granddaughter, Amanda Burden Baker and her husband WC Lambert. She is survived by her son Kenneth G. Stallard, Jr, his wife Edwina Leigh Burden and grandson Benjamin Stallard and her daughter Lygia Stallard, sister Evelyn Cantrell, brother Ellis Riddle, sister in-law Carol Riddle and many nieces and nephews.
Wilma was a member of Sinking Springs Presbyterian Church in Abingdon, Virginia.
A private entombment was held at Colonial Chapel Mausoleum at Forest Hills Memory Gardens.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the WC and Wilma R. Stallard Lambert Endowed Scholarship at The University of Virginia’s College at Wise; Office of Advancement; 1 College Avenue; Wise, Virginia 24293.
Mae Eudell Middleton ’57
April 11, 2024
Obituary unavailable
Robert Henry Wolfe ’57
Oct. 22, 2023
Robert “Bob” Henry Wolfe, a Morehead State University retiree and community leader, passed on October 22, 2023.
He was born on November 6, 1934, in Manchester, KY, to Hansford Wolfe and Theo (Roark) Wolfe. Bob was the first member of his family to graduate from college when he received his bachelor’s degree from Berea College in 1958. He went on to earn a Master’s of Science degree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute (now Virginia Tech).
Bob is survived by his daughters, Robin (Patrick) Morley of Danville, KY, and Ramona Gardner of Morehead, KY; grandchildren, Cory Gardner of Morehead, KY, and Amelia (Zach) Murray of Las Vegas, NV; and two great grandchildren, Aspen and London Murray. He is also survived by his siblings, Russell (Jocelyn) Wolfe of Manchester, KY, Ronald (Hope) Wolfe of Monticello, IL, Sandra Still of Berea, KY; his brother-in-law, Roger (Rena) Lance of Arden, NC, as well as many nieces, nephews, great nieces, and great nephews.
In addition to his parents, Bob was preceded in death by his wife, Mary Frances (Lance) Wolfe on April 6, 1994, and son-in-law, Randy Gardner, on April 7, 1989.
Prior to teaching, he served as a County Extension Agent in Morgan, Pike, and Rowan counties. He joined the staff at Morehead State University in 1967 and taught Horticulture and Agriculture until his retirement in 1999. Throughout his career, he invested in the students and the region through leadership in several University committees and special projects including the Derrickson Agricultural Complex, the Mountaintop Agriculture Complex (Martiki), the Morehead State University Horse Show, as Alpha Gamma Rho advisor, and member and president of the MSU Faculty Senate. He was a life-long member of the Morehead Men’s Club and MSU Retirees Association.
He served Morehead and Rowan County on numerous boards and committees including the Rowan County Public Library Board of Trustees, Lee Cemetery Board of Trustees, Morehead Tree Board and Tree Walk Committees, Morehead Streetscape and Beautification Committees, Morehead-Rowan County-Lakeview Heights Joint Planning Commission, the Morehead Tomorrow Committee, the American Association of Kidney Patients, and the Central Kentucky Horse Show Association.
His family was important to Bob and he enjoyed being involved in their activities. If his grandson was playing or coaching a sport, he was in the stands as the team’s most fervent supporter. He was also an avid gardener, fisherman, genealogist, and lover of nature, birds, trees, and native Kentucky plants.
In fulfilling Bob’s request, a graveside service for family and friends will be held on Thursday, October 26, 2023, at 2 p.m. at Lee Cemetery with Roger Lance and Cory Gardner presiding.
Pallbearers will be Justin Caudill, Heath Loper, Judge Wolfe, Jeff Wolfe, Wayne Lambert, Creighton Benner-Perry.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the MSU Foundation to support the Wolfe-Gardner Family Scholarship Fund. Contributions can be made online by visiting http://Alumni.moreheadstate.edu/wolfe or mailed to MSU Foundation at PO Box 628, Morehead, KY 40351.
Northcutt & Son Home for Funerals (400 Fraley Drive, Morehead, KY 40351) is caring for arrangements.
Patsy Alley Browning ’58
June 17, 2024
Patsy Sue Browning, 86, formally of Martinsburg, WV, passed away, Monday, June 17th. Born January 16, 1938, in Mingo County, WV, she was the daughter of the late Etta Alley “Pat” set her sights on nursing early in life and became a Registered Nurse after attending Berea College in Kentucky and furthering her studies in Cincinnati, Ohio. She worked at several clinics and hospitals during her forty-plus year career, developing specialties in emergency, intensive care, geriatric, and psychiatric nursing. She enjoyed being a home health care nurse at Panhandle Home Health in Martinsburg, WV, where she retired Pat enjoyed being active and engaged. She volunteered with several organizations including Boys & Girls Clubs in West Virginia and Maryland, Frederick County Parks & Recreation, scouting, and local churches. She is remembered for being a caring, supportive, and happy person committed to her family, the West Virginia Mountaineers, and her Christian faith. She is preceded in death by her husband, Harry Lee Browning; mother, Etta Alley; and brother-in-law, William R. Browning. Pat is survived by daughter Lea Ann Browning-McNee, her husband Steve and their son Ryan of Urbana, MD and son Buck Browning, his wife Paula and their daughter Sarah of Williamsport, MD. She is also survived by her sister Jo Ann Browning of Oceana, WV; nephew Butch Browning, his wife Beth of Salisbury, NC and their sons Ross and Clay; niece Patricia (Browning) Harrison and husband Michael of Morgantown, WV; and close cousins Eddie Dean and Janet Scott of Prichard, WV and Carolyn and George Becker of Myrtle Beach, SCPat donated her body to West Virginia University to be used in educating future health care professionals. Her life will be celebrated on Saturday, June 29, at 11 a.m. in the historic Chapel at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Frederick, MDIn lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Pat’s name to Berea College, PO 2216, Berea, KY 40404; the Fort Ritchie Community Center, 14421 Lake Royer Drive in Cascade, MD 21719, or to the nonprofit of your choice.
David L. Gillenwater ’58
Dec. 22, 2023
Obituary unavailable
Howard P. Miller Jr. ’58
April 16, 2024
Howard Pierce “Bucky” Miller, Jr., 89, of Charles Town, WV passed away Tuesday, April 16, 2024, at his home in Charles Town. Mr. Miller was born in Shenandoah County, VA on July 27, 1934, a son of the late Howard Pierce and Vallie Victoria Kline Miller, Sr. He was a 1954 graduate of Strasburg High School and a 1958 graduate of Berea College. Mr. Miller was a U.S. Army veteran having served from 1958-1961. He worked for a brief period for Liberty Mutual before a 30 plus year career with the U.S. Department of Labor. Mr. Miller and his family lived in Centreville, VA, Clifton, VA, Henniker, NH before moving to Charles Town, WV. He was known as a quiet, gentle, and caring man who enjoyed traveling, loved history, but his greatest love was his loving family. In addition to his parents he was preceded in death by a brother Raymond Miller and three sisters Annabelle Miller Hammon, Mary Miller White, and Helen Miller Hodson. Survivors include his loving wife Judith Chase Miller; his children Troy Miller (Julie) of Harpers Ferry, WV, Sharon Saige (Dru) of Jacksonville, FL, Debbie Ziegler (Matt) of Ashburn, VA, and Jean Devaney (Matt) of Charles Town, WV; his grandchildren Kenny Miller (Gabby), Jenna French (Noah), Katie Saige, Jacob Saige, Joey Saige, Bobby Ziegler, Laurie Ziegler, Spencer Devaney, and Evan Devaney; one sister Martha Burkhart along with several beloved nieces and nephews. A memorial service for Mr. Miller will be conducted at 1:00 p.m. Saturday, April 27, 2024, at Stover Funeral Home. Mr. Miller will be laid to rest in Riverview Cemetery. Military honors will be conducted by Shenandoah American Legion Post 77 Strasburg, VA. The family will receive friends at Stover Funeral Home on Friday evening from 6-8 p.m. Memorials may be made in memory of Mr. Miller to Hospice of the Panhandle, 330 Hospice Ln, Kearneysville, WV 25430. You may and submit your condolences to the family online at www.stoverfuneralhome.com. Stover Funeral Home and Crematory, Strasburg, VA is serving the family of Mr. Howard “Bucky” Miller, Jr.
Robert Clell Miller Sr. ’58
Aug. 9, 2024
Robert Clell Miller, Sr., age 87, passed away Friday August 9, 2024, at Saint Joseph Hospital in Lexington, KY. He was born January 17, 1937, in Oak Hill WV to the late Clell and Pearl Deviese Miller. Robert was a graduate of Berea College, class of 1958, a Rotarian with the Berea Rotary Club, enjoyed Kentucky Basketball, Nascar, and tending to his rose gardens and vegetable gardens when he was able. He loved spending time with family, especially his children and grandchildren. Robert was a devoted Christian that loved his faith and his church. He was a member of the Glades Christian Church.
In addition to his parents, Robert was preceded in death one granddaughter, Elizabeth Christina Miller.
Robert is survived by his wife of 62 years Autumn Joy Phillips Miller, two children, Robert Clell Miller, Jr. and his wife Lesa of Lexington, KY, Bennett Miller of Berea, KY, two grandchildren, Robert Clell Miller III, and Henry Ellis Miller both of New York City.
Funeral services will be 1:00PM Monday August 12, 2024, at Davis & Powell Funeral Home with Rev. Rick Fulton officiating. You may view the service live at www.davisandpowellfuneralhome.com Burial will follow at 4:00PM in the Saint Bernard Catholic Church Cemetery in Clementsville, KY with full Military Honors. Visitation will be 6:00PM – 8:00PM Sunday August 11, 2024, at the funeral home.
In lieu of flowers Memorial contributions can be made to Miller Family Scholarship at the University of Tulsa at https://utulsa.edu/give/giving-opportunities/support/
Agnes Sirhun Woolsey ’58
Oct. 23, 2024
My artist sister passed away last year shortly after attaining her 90th birthday. And although she had resided comfortably in an affluent art colony on the Pacific Coast, as a divorced senior citizen in her well-earned retirement, strangely no obituary on her has appeared online, considering she supposedly resided in a supportive close-knit community. Moreover, none of the three Armenian organizations that I contacted, apprising them of her death, and proposing that her life and art be researched, has responded favorably or at all. Thus I feel myself, somewhat belatedly, called upon to render her life memorable with a memoir, better than a mere bones-only formal obituary, for the Armenian-American cultured community that visits this online media.
After all, she did live a dedicated artistic and professional vocation as an art teacher in the city of Berkeley, California public schools for twenty-seven years, where she distinguished herself both as a community activist in behalf of worthy causes, and as a productive painter of landscapes, seascapes, and commissioned portraits of individuals and families who desired to be rendered beautiful and immortalized by her art insofar as portraiture can achieve that objective. Agnes was a member of a professional artists organization of Plein Air Painters who obviously drew great inspiration from the rugged coastline where she resided on the Pacific Ocean.
One of Agnes’s most successful exhibitions of her art, held many years ago, is still available online, and may be viewed by doing a search for Agnes Woolsey Retrospective. I have found some of her remarks in the captions under her paintings, where she coyly confides to her viewers her feelings about the scenic locations she has captured, revealing some of the flavor of her authentic personality. Also to be found on such a search is a right side face silhouette photo of Agnes, probably then in her 70s, which discloses her former striking elegance, and poise of mind as well.
Agnes was the third child of four children born to David and Zevart Kulungian, in Worcester, Massachustts, during the Depression, in 1933. This industrial city was the home of the oldest Armenian community in the United States. Both her parents were survivors of the Armenian Genocide; both were born c.1902, and found themselves thrown together in an orphanage run by the Near East Relief, at the end of World War I, in 1918.
It was there that a covert romance began to struggle to blossom, with little approval of teenage love by their adult supervisors in that era when boys and girls were kept rigidly apart in institutions that provided home or education. Nevertheless, my father reports that he was able to secure the confidence of one House Mother who agreed to carry his secretly composed Love Poems to his not-so-secret sweetheart. Her earnestness in the face of their overwhelmingly challenging plight had endeared her to him poignantly.
Zevart was from a family of eleven sisters, large families being not exceptionally rare in that old-world culture, and the only sister to survive. Indeed, she had found it necessary to verbally convert to Islam during the war, and give up her Christian religion and native language, in order to be taken into a Moslem household where she found shelter for the duration of the war, before finally finding resettlement among her people at war’s end.David’s plan was to work to save money for his passage to America, where his five-year older brother Matthew had been sent by their father before the war began. And then he planned to work at a factory job to save funds to send to his betrothed for her passage here.
But neither had his own life been safe, from the June day in 1915 when he joined the deportation march with what remained of his family, after the Turkish authorities had hastily assembled them for the long aimless trek into the Syrian desert. It was there in that death-march that he witnessed his mother, with his younger sister beside him, fall on her knees, after beseeching the gendarme, “Where are you taking us?” and receiving an ominous reply. She then cried out with her plea to one of the Turkish bey plantation-owners. accompanying the march, eager to acquire child-labor: “Please take my son! He is strong and will be a good worker.” It was then that my father saw his mother and sister for the last time.
The robust 13-year-old youth was put to work on a Turkish plantation for the next four years, until the war ended, and the French Army liberated him into a new captivity in an orphanage. His health had deteriorated severely from the inadequate food his master fed him, and he became blind for a while, before his sight returned after an improved diet once he was freed. To insure that he could not escape for long his enslaved status, his owner had branded my father with indelible tattoos, especially a scimitar on his right hand, a symbol indicating a devotee of Islam. In a substantial memoir of his life in the old country, reproduced only for circulation to members of his immediate family, in the peace of his old age, before he joined a tourist group that visited Armenia to his delight, my father recounted episodes of the daring attempts of his boyhood to run away to freedom, only to find them always unsuccessful.
David Kulungian did manage to find his way to America to be reunited with his brother and make plans for a joint double wedding that the brothers hoped to have in the not-so-distant future. But it did not happen, because the immigration authorities at Ellis Island detected a health problem, glaucoma, that required his beloved be shipped back to Marseille, France, to recover her health, after which it required two more transatlantic crossings before she was accepted and then promptly married.
However, by the time she had produced four children, her marriage, and then the dismal economic situation during the Depression when her husband was out of work, left her huddled in front of a kerosene stove in a third-floor apartment in a cold and bleak tenement house without central heating. It was under these unhealthy living conditions that her health deteriorated, especially from the difficulty of effectively metabolizing high-fat foods such as butter, cheese, eggs, and meat, without the required body-heat from a warm living-space. Her lungs became clogged, and ultimately disabled, producing tuberculosis, the collapse of her health.
I still remember the day, January 29, 1941, 83 years ago, when I had just turned five, three weeks earlier, on the 7th, when the state lady social worker came to our apartment with an armful of brown paper shopping-bags, and proceeded to gather up all the four children’s clothes. She then put me in the back seat of her car and drove to the Winslow Street School, where she pulled my brother John, 10, my sister Alice, 13, and my sister Agnes, 8, out of their classrooms, and told us we were going for a pleasant drive. Less than a half hour later, she pulled into the driveway of a big white farmhouse on Millbury Road in Oxford, Massachusetts, which was to be our home for the next ten years, along with many other children who came and went after brief stays. The lady of the farmhouse received us graciously, doubtless because in earlier days, while they were neighbors in Worcester, and cultivated the art of reading tea leaves, my mother had peered into Aunty Richardson’s teacup, looked her in the eyes, and predicted confidently: “You are going to raise my children.” Aunty – for that was what we all called her – protested vigorously: “But I can’t take your children because I take only state wards whose parents have abandoned them.” Nevertheless, my mother’s confidence was not shaken. She knew that conditions change. And as her health continued to worsen, she apparently informed the social worker who regularly visited our broken family, of her desire for her children.
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We did not become wards of the state because my father consented to pay for our room and board, which was seven dollars per week per child during World War II and beyond, until Auntie finally, in the late 1940s, raised the fee to ten dollars per week per child. But by that time, my brother had left us to join the US Marine Corps at age 17 with his father’s permission.
The interesting fact that allowed my mother’s prediction to be fulfilled was that Auntie had gone out of the business of providing a foster-home for state wards, had moved out of the city, and into a rural setting where she apparently intended to take only “private” children whose parents would compensate her better than the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. They came from private homes where family life had been disrupted, or they came for shorter stays, summers only, while us four Kulungian children were the only ones who stayed with Aunty and Uncle Bill, as her husband was called, permanently.
The Richardson couple had both transplanted here from Victorian England, where children were reluctantly seen and rarely heard. The children’s room in that big farmhouse was a separate kitchen with an iron stove where our food was cooked and we ate at a long table, seated on benches; and with an adverse wind causing the room to be suddenly filled with choking smoke because the stovepipe had to veer downwards for a foot before it could exit out a window. It was hopelessly against the will of nature that smoke must rise, and normally refuses to turn downwards to accommodate the lack of a proper chimney. It was often my sister Agnes who was faulted when our room filled up with smoke in frigid winter, because as the eldest of the young ones, she was put in charge of tending the stove. If she was at her sewing machine or busy at any arts or crafts she cultivated, she was fully absorbed in that, and did not notice that the stove was choking us until it was too late.
Now, reverting to my mother’s prediction that Aunty would bring up her children, stated years before she was ultimately placed in the Worcester State Hospital, Aunty Richardson was very fond of telling that story to any guest, not only because it had wondrously come to pass, but because she was unmistakably proud of us four Kulungian children. She braided my elder sister’s hair every school morning with obvious pride and pleasure, like Alice was her own daughter. She continued to read the tea leaves for wealthy English friends who visited her regularly from Worcester. She also read playing cards and even ultimately: handkerchiefs. She recited Mother Shipton’s prophecies as gospel truth. After all, the English seer had predicted women riding astride horseback like men. And she was proved correct.
When the breast cancer epidemic began right after World War II, due to women being unable to discharge their dietary waste products through the pores of their skin, from wearing the newly-invented non-absorbent nylon stockings – and then the pantyhose in the 1950s, that covered them right up to the belly-button with petroleum-based synthetic fabric – women would come to Aunty’s house to have their fortune predicted before they were scheduled to have a chest X-ray. Aunty would reassure them, on the basis of reading their tea leaves or a careful examination of their handkerchief. Her power of forecasting people’s future was truly remarkable and highly respected by upper-class wealthy people. She had originally emigrated from England as a young woman to serve as a governess and caretaker for the children of wealthy English families who had made their fortunes in America, manufacturing rugs.
Thus, if we ask, How did she raise children while charging merely seven dollars per week? The answer is she had connections. Every Monday she drove to Worcester for her shopping trip and stopped at the Town-Talk Bakery where a large carton of week-old brown bread was waiting for her, some of it moldy, to be sure. But we weren’t too proud to pick off the mold in those less-than-affluent days. Aunty also made a regular weekly stop at the home of a wealthy Mrs. Smith, where she was given a large shopping bag of used clothing for the children, donated by the successful families who ran the Junior League, a charitable organization that looked out for the poor. Aunty never lost her connections with that American-based English aristocracy who continued to visit her until she died in 1962 in her eighties.
She had suffered for years an oozing ulcer in her left leg, which she had to clean and rebandage every two days. After nursing that inexplicable affliction for years, her husband suddenly died of a heart-attack in 1951 and so she stopped cooking the greasy hamburger he liked. And then, lo and behold, her painful ulcer stopped oozing and suddenly healed itself because she stopped feeding it the animal fat from the hamburgers she had been consuming with him, without knowing that the fatty meat was beyond the metabolic capacity of her constitution.
Agnes had been absorbed in arts and crafts for years, making her own clothes for years – and years later her children’s clothes – before it was decided she would not attend high school, but would be sent instead to Girls Trade School in Worcester, where it was arranged she would live with an Armenian family with a daughter her age. Was this a derogation of her ability to learn academic subjects in high school? I suspected she resented it somewhat, but I may have been wrong, because dressmaking did provide an outlet for her artistic talent. But she apparently never took it seriously as a potential lucrative profession as a fashion dress designer. She was too enamored of the visual arts to see anything else easily within her grasp.
Agnes was allowed to take her first professional art lessons at the Worcester Art Museum at age 13, in 1946, and from that day she was hooked on the fine arts as well as the manual arts. When the question arose: Where would she go for higher education, there was no tradition of a college education in our working-class family. But the Worcester County Council of Churches heard of Agnes’ need. She had been a faithful attender of Sunday School at the First Congregational Church in Oxford for many years. The Christian organization responded with a scholarship to a Christian college: Southern Union College in Wadley, Alabama. Without knowing what she was getting into in the deep conservative South, Agnes studied there for her freshman year before extricating herself from those Southern conventions that cramped her style. She did her research well for a new school that could nourish her arts and crafts creative instincts, and found the perfect college that was the least academic and offered her the widest scope to develop her talents: Berea College in Berea, Kentucky.Whomever designed the structure of this college apparently surmised well that this do-it-yourself curriculum in an arts and crafts college for such young people is perfectly appropriate. But such an unstructured option for the pursuit of abstract academic subjects that inherently build on previous learning, can be self-defeating, however much it may flatter the student’s ability to choose one’s own path where such paths do not pre-exist.
Agnes evidently enjoyed immensely her three years at Berea College, a select place for a person of her cast of mind, where she made interesting new friends, not all of them Americans. She thrived on the Berea “No tuition” regimen of work at arts and crafts to earn her education without accruing onerous debt. As one of her crafts projects she made for me a hand-woven woolen necktie of brown and blue slanted stripes, with delicate gold threads where the colors met. It was a truly breathtaking work of art that I wore only rarely, because it was so precious that I feared soiling it, and also because the wool around my neck stimulated my blood circulation inordinately, and explains why cooling silk is most often used for neckwear.
On graduation from Berea College, Agnes got her first art-teaching job in upstate New York in the public schools of the modest city of Troy, where she appeared in a group photo among new friends at the Troy Armenian Church in 1958. Her next job was as a waitress on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey, where she was banking on the reputation for generosity in tipping from the summer tourists there, to help her raise the funds she needed to attend graduate school the ensuing academic year.
For that professional education to qualify herself for a better-paying position, she chose the Master’s Degree Program in Teaching at the California College of Arts and Crafts on the far side of the American continent in Oakland, CA. From there, Agnes sent me a photo in 1960 of herself seated on a couch in the apartment of the late Professor Olvi Mangasarian, taken by him, in Berkeley, who was married to the sister of the woman I was courting here in Massachusetts. In that amazing photo, Agnes was glowing like an illuminated Christmas tree, with a radiant joyful happiness that has been rarely seen in the annals of humanity. It took me over sixty years to discover the secret behind her amazing glow: Agnes had become engaged to a dashing blond Englishman by the name of John Woolsey, who was also a student at the same school. If I had not lost that photo years ago, it would be posted here to illustrate this memoir.
Needless to say, I saw very little of Agnes in the ensuing years, except when she rarely came East with her family–daughter Robin and son David – to visit and stay with our elder sister Alice in Oxford, MA, the town where we grew up. Of course, we had occasional letters back and forth, in which she showed her remarkable astuteness in understanding women. Back in 1961, after Agnes had met only briefly, at a social function, three years earlier, the young woman I was courting to no avail, I complained to my sister that I was not making any progress in winning my beloved’s heart. Agnes had the answer, although it was not borne out until five years later. Agnes consoled me with her observation: “She is the type of woman with no fire in her blood. She has to be swept off her feet.” That is exactly what eventually happened. When the swain saw that she was wavering, and did not show up for the shopping trip planned to pick out a diamond engagement ring, he shrewdly bought an oversize ring, with a ring-guard on it to prevent it from falling off her finger. Then he threw a surprise engagement party at the home of a relative, in which he pushed that oversize ring on her finger in front of a gaping roomful of applauding friends and relatives, on the very evening when she had pledged to break off from the man and come to the residence of her longtime suitor.
Agnes had foreseen it all, even though she didn’t have the exact script. If she was extraordinarily perceptive, with her artist’s eyes, about women, she was equally adroit about making her irresistibly sharp demands upon the men in her life. So her relations with men were usually cut shorter than she would have liked, due to an excess of self-confidence in her own eyes. Her superb self-regard was doubtless based on her physical attractiveness as well as her self-esteem as an accomplished artist. But there is only so much that a man can endure. And she remained blithely unaware of where that limit loomed over her relationships with men.
I can relate only one such arresting encounter with Agnes after her move to California. It was in 1968, as I recall, when the Boston Museum of Fine Arts announced a month-long exhibit of Vincent Van Gogh’s paintings. Agnes was thriving quite well at that time. She owned two houses in Berkeley. One she lived in, and one she rented. She had husbanded her finances well from her school teaching job. So, on the spur of an artist’s inspiration, she took a cross-country jet flight from San Francisco to Bradley Field near Hartford, Connecticut. From there she telephoned her sister to send her husband to come the forty miles each way to drive her to Oxford, MA, and put her up overnight.
I had no telephone, since I dwelt like an impecunious hermit during my 1960s years studying in the Harvard Extension School. But the next morning after Agnes’s arrival on the East Coast, my landlady downstairs received a telephone call from Agnes instructing her brother to pick her up at the Boston Bus Terminal at midday and drive her to the Museum of Fine Arts. Amazing! Without even knowing my landlady’s name, but only the street address, Agnes had succeeded in getting the telephone operator to find the name and phone number of my landlady, who took the call and then passed the message onto me. Naturally, I was annoyed at this sudden imposition on my time. But I had to be impressed by my sister’s resourcefulness in accomplishing her objectives. By that time I hadn’t seen Agnes in many years. I think we felt like strangers in my car, under awkward circumstances; but she showed herself delighted when I drove her to the entrance to the museum. Her overnight excursion from Southern California to Boston’s rarified artistic society at the Museum of Fine Arts had been accomplished without a hitch.
Now to bring this memoir to a close, I reflect upon the longevity of her vitality and her autonomy at living alone with her artistic pursuits for many years, which did provide company enough apparently, because she would never consider remarriage. For some few years I hoped she could find a new fulfilling life with an Armenian husband, and I made overtures toward introducing her to a fine Armenian bachelor attorney in Worcester, Harvard Law School graduate, handsome, and with impeccable family credentials. But Agnes would have none of it, and complained against me. She had ruled herself definitely out of all romantic relationships.
Early on after her divorce from the short-lived marriage to the English father of her two children, she had cohabited with a younger man whom she referred to in her letters only as “Bob,” but never sent a photo of him, before he eventually wore out his welcome in finding shelter under her roof. Either she booted him out or he finally lost patience in accommodating her demands. So I don’t even know whether they had been lovers or merely friends of convenience. I would have liked to know her final judgment about men, which certainly cooled as she aged.
In the heyday of her biological vitality, Agnes had been an avid swimmer for many years, and an expert diver who enjoyed leaping off great heights. Since childhood, she loved the aquatic exercise which doubtless secured and prolonged her good health until well into her senior years as she continued to swim year-round in indoor pools. Then a few years ago her health apparently went off the rails and she announced she was diagnosed with leukemia, which is an excess of white blood cells and a deficiency of red blood cells.
Commonsense tells us that red blood cells are made of protein and fat, so her diet must have become inimical to metabolizing her food adequately, from being too acidic. This was shown in Agnes’ case from her hair becoming white and brittle in old age, which indicates demineralization, since the basis of pigment is minerals, as anyone understands who knows where potters get the colors for the glazes they make for their pottery. So, I surmise that Agnes had mistakenly become addicted or enamoured of an excessively acidic diet from sweets, vinegar products, acidic fruit juices, and acidic fruits, etc. After all, isn’t it the American way to begin the day with a strong dose of citric acid from orange juice?
If there is any truth to the simple antithesis that artists are born, not made, Agnes’s life demonstrated that a life without the fulfillment of the perpetual pursuit of creativity was impossible for her. Artistic creativity both nourished her daily life and made life worth living, and also set her apart from persons whose friendship she may have preferred not to forego. As a man who came to find that the life of the mind, in the relentless pursuit of fresh thoughts in the Vita Contemplativa is the highest form of happiness, as Aristotle famously avers in the tenth book of his Nicomachean Ethics, I came to understand that the life of the artist and the life of the philosopher are not so dissimilar. That gave me a new sympathy, so to speak, with the inside of her life, which otherwise appeared so remote from mine. She attained the quality of life that she instinctively sought after from an early age. And even if that life cost her a penalty in some human relationships, I have no doubt that if she had ever tallied up the costs and benefits, she would have had no regrets about the fulfillments that her life in art had brought her.
Harold Kulungian, her two-and-a-half-year younger brother, who finally appreciates how rare it was to have an artist in the family of working-class folks.
25 September 2024
Daniel Hall ’59
June 19, 2024
Daniel “Dan” Hall, 87 of Louisville, passed away on Wednesday, June 19, 2024.
Dan was born on August 29, 1936 in Grayson, KY to Charles and Ona Hall. He served in the US Army in Korea. He was a successful Executive for G.E. for many years. He was a longtime member of St. Paul UMC where he served as treasurer. He was an avid golfer, woodworker and traveler. Most important, he was a loving husband, father and grandfather.
Dan is survived by his loving wife of 62 years, Anita Hall, his daughter, Jana Cox (Brian), his son, Charles Hall, three grandchildren, Whitney and Spencer Cox and Danielle Hall.
Visitation will be Monday, June 24th from 10:00am – 11:00am with his service to follow at 11:00 am at Highlands Funeral Home, with burial to follow at Cave Hill Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers donations can be made to St. Paul United Methodist Church.
Daniel Hance ’59
Aug. 21, 2024
Daniel Dudley Hance, of Crittenden, KY passed away at the age of 86, on Wednesday, August 21, 2024. He was born November 5, 1937, to the late Evan Minish Hance and Mary Lee Dudley Hance, grew up in Walton, KY, then attended and graduated from Berea College where he met the love of his life, Evelyn Hensley Hance. He served in the Army in the Second Armored Division and enjoyed farming with his wife, son, and daughter. He retired from the Railroad Perishable Inspection Agency then spent his early retirement travelling the world, having been to six of the seven continents. Daniel especially enjoyed visiting farms in other countries and even to the top of Machu Picchu. Later in retirement, he loved playing competitive Bridge as a Life Master with the American Contract Bridge League.
Daniel is survived by his wife of 62 years, his daughter, Dana Hance Wolsing (Cristopher), son, Michael Hance (Donna), sister, Sara Dean Hance Anderson (George), grandchildren, Jessica Wolsing Schwalbe (Max), Megan Hance Kelly (Ryan), Matthew Hance (Haylee), and Mallory Hance, as well as six great-grandchildren and another on the way.
In addition to his parents, he is preceded in death by his granddaughter, Danielle Wolsing.
A gathering of friends will be held on Friday August 30, 2024, from 2:00 PM until 5:00 PM at Chambers and Grubbs Funeral Home, 45 N. Main St. Walton, KY 41094. Memorial donations can be made in Daniel’s name to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Cincinnati by.
Joanne Schweitzer ’59
Obituary unavailable
1960s
Dr. Lloyd M. Browning, MD. ’60
Aug 5. 2024
Dr. Lloyd M.L. Browning, 86, of Louisa, passed away on Monday, August 5, 2024 following a brief illness.
Dr. Browning was born on Saturday, July 30, 1938, in the hills of Viper Kentucky, 9 miles outside of Hazard in Perry County. He was the son of the late William and the late Vivian Cornett Browning.
In addition to his parents, he is preceded in death by a sister, Wilna Browning.
Lloyd graduated from Berea College and the University of Louisville Medical School and upon graduation, served his internship in Memphis Tennessee and on the Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama.
Dr. Browning would retired after more than 47 years of serving many patients in Louisa and surrounding communities. As Doctor Smith-Mensa said “Dr. Browning blazed a trail in Eastern Kentucky as a physician and an icon we all try to emulate. He truly left some big shoes to fill.”
Dr. Browning was a man who simply enjoyed life. He loved his family and friends, he enjoyed fishing trips to Canada, swimming, gardening and being close to his beloved dog, Wilson.
He was also a Master Gardener and a devoted member of the Hilltop Methodist Church.
Survivors Include his loving wife of 62 years, Marcella C. Chambers Browning, who Lloyd met while studying at Berea College; a daughter, Melissa Kowal and husband David; a son, Dr. Ben Browning and wife Heather; two grandsons, Steven Kowal and Alexander Joseph (A.J.) Kowal; three granddaughters, Christina Kowal, Olivia Browning, Elizabeth Browning; two sisters, Jessie Murray and Atha Stigall and her husband Bob; three neices, Andrea Walker and husband Allen, Alison Grubbs and Lynne King; three nephews, Jimmy Herbaugh, Billy Herbaugh and Matt Murray.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Friday, Aug 9th, 2024 at 2:00pm at the Hilltop Methodist Church Pine Hill Road, Louisa with Rev. Bobby Stinett officiating.
Friends may call on Friday from noon until time of services.
Burial will follow in the Greenlawn Cemetery, West.
All care for Dr. Browning and his family has been entrusted to our family at Wilson Funeral Home.
www.wilsonfuneralhomeky.com
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Lloyd Browning, please visit Tribute Store
Winifred Compton ’60
June 1, 2021
Obituary unavailable
Halburn L. Kitts ’60
Nov. 13, 2023
Halburn Landis Kitts, 85, of Colonial Heights passed away on Monday, November 13, 2023. Born January 3, 1938 in Knoxville, Tennesee, he was the son of the late Joseph Roosevelt and Maude Ellen Kitts and was also preceded in death by four brothers, Eddie Kitts, Walden Kitts, Wilburn Kitts, Bill Kitts; sister, Hazel Davis; and one grandson, Ryan Kitts.
In the autumn of 1956, fate brought Halburn Kitts and Rebecca Harman together at Berea College in Berea, Kentucky. Halburn, pursuing a degree in mathematics, crossed paths with Rebecca, who was majoring in music. Their shared journey through academia blossomed into a lifelong love story, and they sealed their union in matrimony in the fall of 1960. Together, they embarked on a journey that spanned states and decades, ultimately settling in Virginia.
Halburn and Rebecca were blessed with the joy of raising two children, Stephanie and Kevin. As they traversed the landscapes of Tennessee, Ohio, Kentucky, Texas, and Colorado, the Kitts family created a tapestry of memories woven with love, laughter, and shared adventures.
Professionally, Halburn Kitts carved out a distinguished career as a networking specialist. His expertise took him to various corners of the country, contributing to the burgeoning field of computer systems. His dedication and skills led him to a position at Fort Lee in the Computer Systems Command Department, where he worked until his well-earned retirement.
Retirement did not signal a slowing down for Halburn, as he continued to serve his community with unwavering devotion. At Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, he took on various roles, exemplifying his commitment to faith and fellowship. As a deacon, Sunday school teacher, and a valued member of the men’s group, Halburn left an indelible mark on the church community.
He is survived by his loving wife, Rebecca Ann Kitts; son, Kevin Kitts and wife, Monica; daughter, Stephanie Kitts; grandchildren, Brianna and Tyler Kitts; brother, Gene Kitts; and numerous nieces, nephews and other extended family members.
A funeral service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, November 20, 2023 at Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, 3110 Greenwood Ave, Colonial Heights, VA 23834. Interment will follow in Sunset Memorial Park. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the funeral service on Monday from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. at church. Online condolences may be registered at www.ealvinsmall.com
Patricia Stiegler ’61
May 4, 2024
Patricia Burd Stiegler, age 86, formerly of Lenoir City passed away at Little Creek Nursing Facility on Saturday morning, May 4, 2024.
She was preceded in death by her parents. Ruel and Clorine Taylor Burd, and sister, Teresa McElroy of Russell Springs, Kentucky.
She is survived by her husband of 58 years, James O. Stiegler; sons, Erik Stiegler of Johnson City, Tennessee and Karl Stiegler of Summerville, South Carolina.
She graduated from Berea College in 1966 and joined the mammalian genetics group at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Patricia left work in 1968 and raised her two sons. Once they became independent, she returned to school and earned a teaching certificate. When an opening became available, she joined the staff at Eaton Elementary School to teach special education students. She regarded this as the most rewarding part of her career.
A private interment will be held. Click Funeral Home, 109 Walnut Street, Lenoir City is in charge of arrangements.
James H. Brookshire ’62
Oct. 10, 2023
James Howard Brookshire, 83, passed away in Pasadena, MD on October 10, 2023. Jim was born in Haywood County, NC on April 22, 1940, to the late Garland and Addie Brookshire. Jim served in the U.S. Air Force for 22 years, retiring as a SMSgt in 1982. He then worked for the Department of Defense until fully retiring in 2000.
Jim loved spending time with his family, who were a great source of pride. He enjoyed working on crossword puzzles and reading. Jim served as a deacon at Faith Baptist Church.
Jim was preceded in death by his wife Pat, his parents, and brother Roby. He is survived by his children Jim Brookshire (Olivia) of Severn, MD; Robin Schoditsch (Barry) of Columbia, MD; and Melanie Harlow (Jim) of Jessup, MD. He is also survived by his brother Morris of Canton, NC; seven grandchildren: Jeremy (Laura), Trisha, Adam, Jaymee (Calvin), Jonna, Kelli, Will and three great-grandchildren: Iris, Millie, and Elouise.
Family and friends are invited to gather at Singleton Funeral & Cremation Services, P.A., 1 2nd Avenue, S.W. (at Crain Hwy), in Glen Burnie, on Wednesday, Oct. 18th, from 4 – 7 PM. A Celebration of Life Service will be held on Thursday, October 19th, at 1 PM, in the funeral home chapel. A Private burial will be held at Maryland Veterans Cemetery in Crownsville.
Thomas W. Little ’62
June 20, 2024
Thomas William Little, 83, was called home in the presence of his beloved wife Betty Mar on June 20, 2024, in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, where he retired over twenty years ago. Tom was born to George W. and Dorothy V. Little in Pleasant Hill, Tennessee on December 3, 1940. Tom was always immensely proud of his parents, brothers, and community. There was love all around even if money was scarce. His family’s four-room home did not have indoor plumbing until Tom was in the second grade, but he said they had all they needed. He graduated from high school in Tavares, Florida, where his family moved for one year before returning to their home state. He received his Bachelor’s degree from Berea College in Kentucky, where he lived and worked in the dairy barn to pay his tuition. He earned his Master’s of Science degree from the University of Tennessee, and then went on to complete his Ph.D. in agricultural economics at Virginia Tech. He was an expert on multiple commodities, a talent on full display on every family road trip, where he would point out every kind of crop along the interstate. He worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Cooperative Extension Service while in graduate school, then moved to the Department’s headquarters in Washington, DC. He later joined the staff of Kentucky Senator Walter D. Huddleston, who served as ranking member of the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee. Following his service on Capitol Hill, he worked as an advocate for the family farmer and the agricultural industry at the Food Marketing Institute, Dairymen, Inc., and the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives. He was especially proud of his groundbreaking work on various national farm bills, his participation in international sugar negotiations, an award as conservation man of the year, and a Superior Service Award from USDA. In retirement, he switched gears and enjoyed selling real estate in South Carolina. While he had many professional accomplishments, he saw his crowning achievement in life as his family, and most importantly his marriage to the former Betty Mar Allen, whom he met at Berea College and proposed to on a park bench just two weeks into dating. For over 60 years, they formed an unbreakable bond that set the standard for love, friendship and mutual respect in marriage. They met in a college dancing group that toured extensively in the United States and abroad, and they continued to impress on the dance floor over the decades. They lived in Loudoun County, Virginia for over 30 years before moving to South Carolina. Betty Mar survives and celebrates him. Tom was the proud father of George and Michael Little, and considered their wives, Bethany Little and Jeanel Little, to be his own daughters. He was a doting grandfather and role model for his grandchildren Everett, Camden, Ruby, and Crew. He was predeceased by his parents, his brothers Frank and Beryl, and Betty Mar’s parents, Everett and Ruby, who treated him like a son-and whom he treated as his own father and mother. His brother, Bruce Little, survives him, along with nephews Brian Little, Scott Little, and Charles Milton Allen, and niece Gina Jenkins. Tom was a talented woodworker, an excellent ping-pong player, and an avid follower of PGA golf tournaments. He enjoyed performing small and large acts of service for his family, his church, and his neighbors and wider community. He did not like dishonesty, the polarization of American politics, or poor restaurant service. A memorial service for Tom will be held at Belin United Methodist Church in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina on Sunday, June 30, 2024 at 3:00 pm. A reception to celebrate Tom’s life will follow at the church. The service will also be livestreamed on the Belin United Methodist Church YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@BelinMemorialUMC/streams. A video will also be archived for those who wish to see it later. In lieu of flowers, those who are inclined to make a donation in Tom’s honor are asked to consider a contribution to the Medical University of South Carolina’s Movement Disorders Program (a Parkinson’s Center of Excellence), or to Berea College. The family also wishes to thank Burroughs Funeral Home for their support and compassion. To view online or to offer words of comfort through the online, kindly visit the funeral home website at www.burroughsfh.com Burroughs Funeral Home & Cremation Services (843-651-1440) is honored to assist the family.
Jean Blair-Robertson ’62
April 23, 2024
Obituary unavailable
Linda Lethgo ’62
April 19, 2024
Linda Daye Lethgo, age 83, of Elm Street in Ravenna, passed away Friday, April 19, 2024, at the Compassionate Care Center in Richmond following a long illness. She was born October 16, 1940, in Estill County, and was the daughter of the late Rice and Dena Hall Lethgo. She was a teacher for 38 years at the Mayfield Elementary School in Middletown, Ohio, and she was a member of the Ravenna Christian Church. She had lived in Estill County for the last 5 years. She is survived by:
1 sister: Doris Lethgo – Estill Co.
Nieces and Nephews: Dena Swim, Donna Sowder, Micah Swim, Billy Hounshell, Lynne Zieverink, and Cason Hounshell
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by 2 sisters, Anitha Worman and Nancy Lethgo Riddell, and 1 niece, Debbie Hounshell
Funeral services will be conducted Tuesday, April 23, 1 PM at the Warren F. Toler Funeral Home Chapel with Bro. mark Reece officiating. Burial will be at the West Irvine Cemetery. Visitation will be held on Tuesday from 11 AM to 1 PM. A celebration of life will be held in Middletown, Ohio at a later date.
Pallbearers: Russ Swim, Micha Swim, Billy Hounshell, Cason Hounshell, Rick Prewitt, Kordel Day, and Jantzen Day
In lieu of flowers, donations are suggested to be made to Hospice Care Plus in Richmond or to the Mercy Health Irvine Foundation (Kathy Withers 606-726-2119)
Flay Spencer Price ’62
July 12, 2024
Flay Spencer Price, 86, of Ellenboro, NC, died Friday, July 12, 2024 at Fair Haven of Forest City. Spencer was a native of Caroleen, NC, and was the son of the late J. Bruce and Wilmoth Debrule Price. He held degrees from Berea College and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He continued his studies at Georgetown College, Furman University, Wake Forest University and the University of Richmond. Spencer spent over thirty years as a Baptist pastor and served six churches with four of those being in North Carolina and two in Virginia. Upon retirement from the ministry, he owned and operated a landscaping company in Richmond, VA. After moving to Ellenboro, NC, he taught Sunday school and volunteered for Habitat for Humanity and the Rutherford Housing Partnership. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his daughter, Tracy Lynn Price and his brother Jimmy Price.
He is survived by his wife of sixty two years, Edith Price of the home; brothers, Roger Price (Rebecca) of Rogers, Arkansas, Joe Thomas Price (Glenna) of Panama City, Florida, and Wilton Price of Caroleen, NC, niece, Tina Price (Robert) of Fayetteville, Arkansas and nephew, Ben Price of Panama City, Florida.
Funeral services will be held at eleven o’clock on Wednesday, July 17, 2024 in the Padgett & King Chapel with Reverend Dr. Diane Nelson officiating. Interment will follow in the Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church Cemetery. The family will receive friends from ten until eleven o’clock on Wednesday. Memorial contributions may be made to Habitat for Humanity or to Rutherford Housing Partnership.
Myra Riley ’62
April 2, 2024
Myra Lee Housley Riley was born on September 28, 1940. After a blessed life, she was welcomed into Heaven on April 2, 2024. A friend to all, Myra Lee brightened every room with her energy, love, and warmth. She was the epitome of selfless love, and she cared deeply about her family and friends, who knew her to be a continual source of encouragement and support. Myra Lee grew up on a beautiful dairy farm in Riceville with her parents, Ernest Lee Housley and Johnny Millard Housley, and her brothers John and Gale Housley. Myra Lee had many fond memories of her childhood on the farm and enjoyed recounting them with family, including her sister-in-laws Nancy and Robin Housley. In middle school, she met her husband-to-be, Joel Craig Riley, and the two dated throughout high school and during her time at Berea College, where she graduated with a degree in Home Economics. Myra Lee and Joel got married as soon as her parents allowed, and the two have remained blissfully in love for 62 years. Myra Lee and Joel lived in Athens, where Myra Lee taught school for 22 years and raised two wonderful children, Joel Craig Riley II and Myra NanDora Riley Jenne. She adored her children and beamed with pride every time she talked about them, as well as her son-in-law Mike Jenne and daughter-in-law Holly Riley. Myra Lee was “Granny” to five grandchildren and their spouses-Joseph and Rachel, Benjamin and Kathleen, Joshua, Myra Ashton, and Riley-and four great-grandchildren-Ida Mae, Jacob, Jonah, and Silas. She had an amazing way of making each of them feel incredibly special and loved. Myra Lee had an extraordinary talent for bringing people together. She loved hosting gatherings at her home and would often spend days cooking, gardening, and preparing. After every event, she always said, “It was a joy,” and it wasMyra Lee leaves behind family and friends who are grateful to have been blessed by her warmhearted spirit, and they will miss her immensely. They will gather to celebrate her life in a worship service and will forego the receiving of friends on April 6, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. at First Baptist Church of Etowah. Pallbearers will be Joseph Riley, Benjamin Riley, Joshua Riley, Riley Jenne, Mike Jenne, Halen Housley, Rich Fabritious, and Ryan MinceyIn lieu of flowers, the family requests that you make donations to The McMinn County Education Foundation, P.O. Box 2, Athens, TN 37371-0002 : Camp Living Stones, 1534 CR 876, Englewood, Tennessee 37329You may sign the guest register at www.smithfuneralandcremationservicesofathens.comSmith Funeral & Cremation Services of Athens is honored to serve the family of Myra Lee Housley Riley.
Carol Roland ’62
June 7, 2024
Jean Carol Roland, née Ingledew, 84, a longtime resident of Florence and Walton, Ky., died on June 7, 2024, in Lexington, Ky., of a pulmonary embolism.
Born on April 16, 1940, Carol, as she was known, grew up in New Castle, Va., where she was one of five children raised by her mother, Ruby Crawford Ingledew. Her father, Lorenzo George Ingledew, died when she was 3. Carol revered her mother’s ability to overcome adversity and raise five children by herself. The independence and strong will she saw in her mother would inspire much of Carol’s life.
Upon graduating from New Castle High School in 1958, she traveled to Kentucky to attend Berea College, earning her bachelor’s degree in home economics. A proud Berea alumna, Carol became the first in her family to attend and graduate from a four-year college.
After completing her degree, in 1962, Carol moved to Walton, Ky., to take her first teaching assignment. Word spread that there was a new teacher at the high school. She was smart, pretty and single, people said. One of the cafeteria ladies, Myrtle Hammond, shared the news with her son, who was the same age as Walton’s recent arrival – and that’s how Carol met Gene Dale Roland. He had to cancel their first date because he got sick, but when Gene and Carol finally did meet up, they went bowling. The next year, they got married. Their union lasted a remarkable 60 years. Together they had one son, Marc Roland of Lexington.
Carol started her career teaching home economics and biology, while also serving as sponsor of the cheerleading squad and Future Homemakers of America and Beta Club chapters. Later, she ran a private kindergarten at a time when kindergarten was not part of the mandatory statewide curriculum. She taught for three decades in public and private schools, managing to teach every grade from preschool to 12th grade, a feat she was proud of. Along the way, she earned her master’s degree and Rank I.
It is an understatement to say Carol was devoted to teaching. She would get up early and go to bed late preparing for her students, and she was always in her classroom well before the first bell rang and long after the students had gone home. For decades she taught students, then siblings of those students, and later, the children of those students at Walton-Verona Independent Schools and Blessed Sacrament School in Northern Kentucky. After retiring, she frequently passed along her old textbooks, workbooks and teaching materials to her only grandchild, Piper Roland-Shive of Lexington, hoping to inspire a love of learning and school.
Even as dementia took hold, Carol never forgot she was a teacher – a testament to the indelible love she had for her lifelong profession. She adored her students, and her students adored her. On a Facebook post announcing her death in a Walton-Verona High School alumni group, past students said of Carol: “My favorite teacher of all time”; “She is the reason why I became a teacher”; “Great person! She was my kindergarten teacher and my son’s”; “The world was a better place because of her”; and “She was so kind and so very patient. I think my love of learning started with her influence so many years ago!” Had Carol seen these posts before her death and before dementia robbed her of her memories, she probably would have easily recognized who had posted the comments and been able to tell a story about each one.
Beyond her teaching, Carol was a master seamstress and loved crafting, gardening, traveling, shopping and reading. She was a member of Grace Episcopal Church in Florence, Ky., where she served as a lay reader for many years. After she and Gene, who also suffers from dementia, moved into an assisted living facility in Lexington in 2022, Carol was known as a social butterfly who even until a few months before her death enjoyed helping other residents, playing games and, of course, crafting. In the last months of her life, she, with Gene, got to witness the total eclipse of the sun on April 8, a cosmic event that millions marveled at. What did Carol think? She said she wasn’t impressed – but she probably had an idea for using the event in a science lesson.
Jean Carol Ingledew Roland was a wife, mother, grandmother, friend, teacher, or just the nice lady who cooked, sewed and lived on Service Road in Walton; then Heritage Drive in Florence. Most of all, though, she was a woman who will be remembered by the hundreds, if not thousands, of lives that she crossed paths with in her 84 years.
In addition to her husband, Gene; son, Marc; and granddaughter, Piper, Carol is survived by a host of nieces, nephews, grand-nieces, grand-nephews, friends, neighbors, former colleagues and students. She was preceded in death by her parents, three sisters, a brother and two half-sisters.
Visitation will be at Chambers and Grubbs Funeral Home, 45 N. Main St. Walton, KY 41094 on Thursday, June 13, 2024, from 11:00 am until 1:00 pm. A private graveside service will follow visitation.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Carol’s memory to Berea College by clicking here: https://www.berea.edu/giving or the Alzheimer’s Association by clicking here.
Ronald Ratliff ’63
May 24, 2024
Mr. Ronald Ratliff, 84 of Lake City passed away peacefully on the morning of Friday, May 24, 2024, at Haven Hospice. He was born May 6, 1940, in Jenkins, Letcher County, Kentucky to Henry Ratliff and Elizabeth (Belcher) Ratliff. He graduated from Jenkins High School in 1959 and earned a BS in Political Science from Berea College in 1963, with a minor in Business Administration. He then worked as a caseworker for the TN Department of Public Welfare, and in 1966 became the Title V Project Director for a five-county region. In 1967, he was appointed as County Director for Union County, Tennessee. In 1973 he earned an MS in Social Work from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Following his graduation, he worked as the Director of Social Services for the East Tennessee Chest Disease Hospital, then as a consultant on Appalachian Culture for a professor at the University of TN, and then as Area Team Leader and Psychiatric Social Worker for the Bluegrass West Mental Health/Mental Retardation Board in Frankfurt, KY. He joined the Veterans Administration in 1979 as a medical social worker and was appointed Chief of Social Work for the Wilmington VA Medical Center, in New Castle County, DE in 1988, where he served until his retirement in 2003. He was a past member of the National Association of Social Workers, and the American Public Welfare Association. He was a member of the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels and was a Mason to 32nd degree. During his career, he achieved many Service and Performance Awards, Certificates of Appreciation, and Special Contribution Awards. He was a leader in PTSD evaluations with veterans, and was the EAP contact for the employees at the VA. He was an advocate for the Korean War Veterans Association of Delaware, The American Legion, and for homeless populations in Wilmington, DE. Ron enjoyed working on antique clocks, and refinishing vintage furniture. He enjoyed playing cards with friends and was a voracious reader. He enjoyed watching horse racing and baseball. He was a baptized member of Grace Lutheran Church in Hockessin, DE. Ron was preceded in death by his parents and siblings, Bertha, Ernest, Lorraine, Thurmon, Donald (identical twin), and Cletus, and by his adopted daughter, Tina Ratliff. He is survived by his wife, Barbara (Trull) Ratliff, of Lake City, FL and man’s best friend, his constant companion, Jordan B. Feliz. He is survived by his daughter Karen Ratliff, of Knoxville, TN, his son James Ratliff, of Tampa Florida; his step-son Greg (Tammy) Horton, of Lake City, FL; his step-daughter, Jerri (Ronnie) Stanley, of KY; and his step-son Chad King, of Dothan, AL. Ron has eight grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren, as well as many nieces and nephews with whom he had a close relationship. He is also survived by many close friends and chosen family members. The family will have a private ceremony in celebration of Ron’s life. In lieu of flowers, please feel free to make a donation to Haven Hospice,6037 W US Highway 90. Lake City FL 32055. (386)752-9191
For support please contact obituarydatasupport@pbinfo.com
Paul D. Nelson ’65
Sept. 8, 2024
Paul David Nelson, historian, died on September 8, 2024. He is survived by his beloved wife Rebecca P. Nelson. His two sons, Matthew David and Paul Christopher, preceded him in death, as did his parents George T. and Frances Priddy. He is survived by two brothers, Wade and Tommy, and one sister Peggy Dudley. He was born May 15, 1941, in Patrick County, Virginia, and grew up on a small family farm. He majored in history at Berea College. Graduating in 1965, he entered graduate school at Duke University and five years later was rewarded a Ph.D. degree in American Colonial and Military History.
David taught American History at Berea College for 37 years. In 1992 he was appointed Julian-Van Dusen Professor of American History and a year later received Berea’s highest faculty accolade, the Seabury Award for Excellence in Teaching. From 1992 to 2003 he served as chairman of the History Department. David was a Woodrow Wilson scholar in 1965, A Danforth Teaching-Intern in 1968-1969. He published eight books on the American War of Independence.
Memorials may be made to the Salvation Army, 736 West Main Street, Lexington, KY 40508; or Catholic Relief Services, 228 West Lexington Street, Baltimore, MD 20201.
Service for David will be announced at a later date. Arrangements handled by Kerr Brothers Funeral Home – Main St.
J. B. Trout Jr. ’65
Obituary unavailable
Faith Briggs ’67
June 7, 2024
Faith MacArthur Niday Briggs Faith Niday Briggs, 80, of Ripplemead, Va., passed away on June 7, 2024, after living with dementia for several years. Faith was born in her childhood home in Ripplemead on April 5, 1944, to William Harvey and Berta Anderson Niday and was given the middle name MacArthur, in honor of the World War II general. Faith graduated from Pearisburg High School in 1962 and graduated from Berea College, Ky., in 1967 with a degree in home economics. She worked as an extension agent in Kentucky, teaching sewing and food handling safety, before returning to Giles County in 1975. Later in life she worked as the director of the Giles Senior Center, continuing to teach her love of quilting and crafts, but her lifelong work was as a church musician. Faith began providing worship music at a young age with her sisters by playing and singing at Riverview Union Church, a small rural church that was once on Curve Road in Ripplemead. She often said her claim to fame was that she had played piano in nearly every church in Giles. She was the longtime pianist at the First United Methodist churches in Narrows and Pearisburg. She had a lasting impact by sharing in our community’s joy and grief through playing for hundreds of weddings and funerals in Giles and teaching many children how to play the piano. Faith was lucky to marry two of her college sweethearts, Lewis Ray Plummer in 1967 and Richard Leroy Briggs in 2004. She loved working in her flowerbeds, spotting native wildflowers on country drives, and telling long embellished stories. Faith is survived by her husband, Richard Briggs; her children, Dr. William Plummer (Molly Goforth) and Dr. Sarah Plummer; her sister, Carol Doty; her nieces and nephews, William Harvey Niday III (Lynetta), Keith Niday (Dana), John Doty, J.M. Carr, and Dr. Martha Carr; and her granddogs Max and Wesley. The funeral service will be held at 11am on June 29, 2024, at Edgewood United Methodist Church in Ripplemead with the Rev. Kim Mustard Goddard officiating. Visitation will be held Friday, June 28, 2024, at Givens Funeral Home from 6 8 pm. The family is being served by Givens Funeral Home in Pearisburg, (540) 921-1650; online at givensfuneralhome.com. The family wishes to thank Heritage Hall in Rich Creek for taking care of Faith in her last year.
Dr. Frank C. Fuller Jr. ’67
April 9, 2024
Services for Dr. Frank Charles Fuller, Jr., 79, of Jacksonville, Alabama, will be at noon on Monday, April 22, 2024, at Castlewood Funeral Home, 80 Donnie Dean Dr, Castlewood, VA 24224. Pastor Joe Hutchinson will officiate. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service at the funeral home. Dr. Fuller will be laid to rest beside his father in the family plot at Temple Hill Memorial Park in Castlewood, VA.Dr. Fuller passed on Tuesday, April 9, 2024, at Riverview Regional Medical Center in Gadsden. He was surrounded by his family as he transitioned peacefully to his Heavenly Home.Dr. Fuller was born in 1945 in Clinchco, Virginia, a tiny coal mining town in southwestern Virginia. His father, grandfather and many other relatives were coal miners. Often, the only time young Frank could spend time with his father was just before bedtime. As his father was cleaning up from work, young Frank would sit and talk with him. But he always forgot to shut the bathroom door. Thus as a youngster, Frank was given the nickname Richard, after the chorus of a popular song of the time.Dr. Fuller first attended school in a quon set hut in nearby Clintwood. He graduated from Ervinton High School in 1963. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from Berea College in Kentucky, in 1967. Dr. Fuller was awarded fellowships from the National Defense Education Act and the National Science Foundation to continue his education at what was then Virginia Polytechnic University (Virginia Tech). He earned his Master of Science in Statistics in 1970, and PhD in Statistics in 1972. Following graduation, Dr. Fuller moved to Alabama to begin teaching at Jacksonville State University. He spent his entire 35 year career teaching Business Statistics in the College of Commerce and Business Administration until his retirement in 2007, when he received professor emeritus status. Dr. Fuller was known for his colorful sport coats and coordinating ties.Dr. Fuller enjoyed watching Kentucky Wildcats basketball and Virginia Tech Hokie football, working crossword puzzles, playing solitaire, and reading the Bible, as well as other books.Dr. Fuller is preceded in death by his parents, Frank C. Fuller, Sr. and Kitty Fuller; siblings, Ronald Fuller and wife Carole, Peggy Yates and husband Olin, and Dorothy Burns; and in-laws, Charles “Charlie” Lucas and Orpha Lucas.Left to cherish his memory include his wife of 52 years, Brenda of Jacksonville, AL; two daughters, Sesalea of Fredericksburg, Virginia, and Elizabeth and husband Michael of Oviedo, Florida; his pride and joys, his grandchildren: his “boy”, Rhett, his “honey”, Ava, and “mister” Henry; sister, Lois and husband, Eddie, of Abingdon, Virginia; brother-in law, James, of Dallas, Texas; and numerous nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made to St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 (www.stjude.org).The family would like to acknowledge and extend their deepest thanks to the doctors, nurses and staff of the Critical Care Unit at Riverview Regional Medical Center in Gadsden. Dr. Fuller received exceptional care and compassion from everyone.Online condolences may be made to the family at www.klbrownfuneralhome.com. K.L. Brown Funeral Home and Crematory322 Nisbet Street NWJacksonville, AL 36265(256) 435-7042
Betty Jean Hall Fd. ’64, ’68
Aug. 16, 2024
Betty Jean Hall, 78, a Kentucky-born attorney who fought to make coal mining jobs available to women and went on to serve as an administrative judge overseeing the government’s benefits review process for injured workers, died Friday. Hall has been described on the website of her alma mater, Berea College, as “a tireless advocate for women’s rights, occupational health and safety, and social justice in Appalachia.” During her retirement, she lived in Cary, N.C. Hall was the founder of the Coal Employment Project, an advocacy group based in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, that not only fought legal battles to get women into the mines but also set up a nationwide support network to help them once they got there. TOP VIDEOS The video player is currently playing an ad. The organization hosted training programs and annual conferences attended by women from across the country and sometimes from abroad, said Kipp Dawson, a social justice advocate and friend of Hall who worked as a coal miner in Pennsylvania for 13 years. She said the annual sessions the Coal Employment Project hosted allowed women miners — and some men who attended as well — to work through important issues. The Coal Employment Project presented research on topics such as the effect of pregnancy on female miners and the need for paid parental leave, which paved the way for the Family and Medical Leave Act, Dawson said. “We got taken more seriously because it wasn’t just the voice of a single woman,” Dawson said. “She was our mother. Without her, we wouldn’t have had the organization … that has done so much.” CEP, as the group was known, also set up support groups for female miners in many states, said Marat Moore, a longtime Coal Employment Project member and author of “Women in the Mines: Stories of Life and Work.” “The older I get, the more I realize how completely unique, innovative and incredible the work Betty Jean did” was, Moore said. “It was a model of grassroots organizing.” Hall told the New York Times in 1979 that she grew interested in women in mining after learning about a Tennessee coal mining company that refused to let a woman even go on a tour of a mine. At the time, there was a superstitious attitude toward women in mining, much like that of sailors of long ago — “It’s like being the first woman on a ship. Nobody wants you on their crew,” Hall told the Times. “It occurred to me that even though I had grown up in Kentucky, I didn’t know a single woman miner,” Hall told the newspaper. Through anti-discrimination lawsuits and grassroots advocacy, Hall was able to pressure coal mining companies around the country to begin hiring women. “Sure, coal mining is hard work,” Hall told the New York Times. “But so is housework and so is working in sewing factories for minimum wages. Just about all the women I’ve talked to agree that if they have to choose between making $6,000 a year in a factory and mining coal for $60 or more a day, they’ll go into the mines.” Jim Branscome, a lifelong friend of Hall who now lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, said that at that time, “the only jobs that women were being offered in the coal industry were in the office with a typewriter.” Branscome said he thinks the feminist movement and Hall’s upbringing in a region dependent on mining coalesced to lead her to take action. When Hall was contacted by a law group in East Tennessee about the lack of opportunities for women in mining, he said “she decided to do something about it.” “She was just a part of a generation of women that decided, ‘We ain’t gonna take this no more,’” he said. “There was a time when coal companies were much admired,” Branscome said. “The coal industry was just kind of shocked that someone was coming after them with these lawsuits.” And, he said, “they had the power of the federal government and the courts behind them. That was new.” Though the ranks of female miners were on the rise in the 1970s, later media reports indicate that their numbers were dwindling by the mid- to late 1980s, as coal companies cut jobs. Hall told the Herald-Leader in 1986 that women had been particularly hard-hit, because they were “the last hired and the first fired.” Though there are few women mining today, Moore said she hopes Hall’s legacy of women organizing is something that will continue. “It was one of the greatest gifts of my life,” she said. Dawson said Hall helped women break barriers, allowing them to choose career paths previously unavailable to them and giving them the tools to become leaders in their field. And in recent years, she said Hall had been working to help preserve the history of how she did it for future generations. She laughed quietly as she remembered one particular story of Hall’s dedication to preserving records of the Coal Employment Project’s work. For years, Dawson said, the group put out a monthly newsletter, and each edition included submissions from around the country and one longer article telling the story of a woman coal miner. The publication was mimeographed on 8-by-14 paper, Dawson said, and stapled together in Hall’s office. “That particular format was hard to digitize,” she said. So years later, Hall retyped each newsletter herself so the articles could be preserved in digital format. “She knew how important our stories were,” Dawson said. Moore said her story would certainly not have been the same without Hall. “She gave us opportunities to have a life that was bigger and more interesting,” Moore said. “She was tiny. A very small person, but I felt like one of the biggest oaks in our forest fell.” Hall was a native of Perry County who grew up attending Buckhorn School. She transferred to the Berea College Foundation School, a high school operated by the college at that time, when her father became head of the college’s woodworking program, according to an obituary provided by Branscome. She graduated from Berea College in 1968. In 1976, she graduated from the Antioch School of Law in Washington, D.C., a school focused on public interest law and social justice. The following year, she founded the Coal Employment Project. Over the years, Hall’s work was recognized by a number of organizations, including Ms. magazine, which named her a “Woman to Watch in the 80s,” and by the National Women’s Health Network, which named her Health Advocate of the Year in 1980, according to a brief biography on the Berea College website. In 2001, several years after the Coal Employment Project had stopped operating, Hall was appointed administrative appeals judge for the U.S. Department of Labor’s Benefits Review Board. “Under her leadership, the board streamlined the benefits review process, ensuring coal miners with black lung disease and other workers injured in their occupations received fair and timely reviews of their compensation applications,” her biography on the Berea College website states. She served until 2019, when she retired from the position as chief administrative appeals judge. Branscome said he first met Hall as a freshman at Berea College, and their friendship lasted 60 years. He said they competed on the debate team together, worked together at the Appalachian Regional Commission in Washington, D.C., after college and never lost touch as their careers led them to different places. “Betty Jean’s the kind of friend that’s always there,” he said. “During all of life’s ups and downs.” Both on the debate team and in standing up to coal companies, Branscome said, “she was fearless.” In recent years, Branscome said, he and Hall worked together as part of a group looking at ways to help Berea College recruit more students from the mountains. Last year, Hall was awarded a Distinguished Alumnus Award from the college. A scholarship fund in her name has been set up at Berea College, and it will benefit “students from the most economically distressed counties in Appalachia, which are mostly the coalfields,” her obituary stated. “Among all her accomplishments, she is proudest of her twins, Tim and Tiffany, and her two grandchildren, Athena and Blake,” her Berea College biography says. Her family resides in Cary, North Carolina, according to the obituary. “My mother loved Eastern Kentucky and worked very, very hard to give back to her homeland,” her daughter Tiffany Olsen said in a message. Memorial services are planned for Oct. 5 in Berea, she said.
Read more at: https://www.kentucky.com/news/state/kentucky/article291152505.html#storylink=cpy
Dennis R. Singleton ’69
Jan. 23, 2024
Dennis Ray Singleton, 77, of Greenfield, IN passed away on January 23, 2024. He was born July 8, 1946. He was a graduate of Versailles High School. He attended Berea College, graduating in 1968 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nutrition and Hotel Management.
After graduating from Brea College, Dennis joined the United States Air Force where he was stationed as a nutritionist at Wright-Patterson Air Force Basein Dayton, Ohio where he excelled. He was next stationed at Clark Air Force Base the Philippines where he served as a member of the medical team for returning Vietnam prisoners of war in Operation Homecoming 1973.
Dennis is survived by his nieces Luwanda Hall-Lykens (Gary), Carol Hall Jackson, nephew Gary Hall, best friends, David Carney and Frank Valentine, and several loving great nieces and great nephews. He was preceded in death by; by his parents William and Bertha (Combs) Singleton, brothers Orlin Singleton and Oliver Singleton, and Sister Audrey (Singleton) Hall and Colleen (Singleton) Lawburgh.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, May 11, 2024 at noon at Versailles State Park in the Schimmerhorn Shelter.
Memorial contributions may be sent to Wounded Warriors in Dennis’s name.
1970s
Albert Johnson ’70
July 27, 2024
Albert Johnson, age 77, of Ararat, passed away at Northern Regional Hospital on Saturday, July 27, 2024. He was born in Shelby Gap Kentucky to the late Bertha Caudill and George Adam Johnson. Mr. Johnson graduated from Berea College in December of 1970. Mr. Johnson was retired from the Surry County Tax Department where he was a Property Appraiser. Al was a kind and generous person who never met a stranger and often had a story to share about whatever the subject. Al loved people and always saw their best characteristics. Al would do anything for anyone and could be found fixing a computer, repairing a car, and maybe even working on someone’s plumbing. Most important of all, Al had a superb sense of humor and could always find the amusing aspect in a situation. Al was a wonderful and thoughtful person who will be greatly missed by his family and all that knew him. Mr. Johnson attended Little Mountain Baptist Church in Ararat, where he served the Lord faithfully. Left to cherish his memory is his loving wife Rita Watson Johnson of 54 years; sisters and brother; Georgene Adkins, Mary Marasa, Emma Batchelor, Wanda Sexton, Victor Johnson (Sharon); several nieces and nephews; many other family members and friends and his special pet, Sally. In addition to his parents, Albert was preceded in death by a brother, James Johnson; sister, Joe Ann Phelps; and niece, Rebecca Sexton. Mr. Johnson will lie-in-state on Friday, Aug. 2, from 1-2 p.m. with his funeral following at 2 p.m. at Little Mountain Baptist Church with Rev. Bill Watson officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery. The family will receive family and friends on Thursday, Aug. 1, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Moody Funeral Home. The Johnson family would like to extend their heartfelt gratitude to the Emergency Room Staff and Intensive Care Unit of Northern Regional Hospital. The family would also like to thank the extended family, and church family and friends for all the love and support over the last few days.
Ronald J. Black ’72
May 11, 2024
Ronald J. Black, 78, of London, died Saturday, May 11, 2024, in Doctors Hospital, Columbus.
Born July 31, 1945, in Danville, KY, he was a son of J.B. and Mattie (Dudderar) Black.
Ron was a US Air Force veteran, serving stateside during the Vietnam War. He had a bachelors degree from Berea College in Berea, Kentucky where he was a student weaver and met his future wife Nell Rose Turner. He then earned a masters degree from Eastern Kentucky University. In 1978 he moved his family to Ohio when he took a job as an instructor at the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy, retiring in 2004. He was a member of the Buckeye State Sheriff’s Association and a longtime member of Trinity Episcopal Church in London.
A loving and devoted father, he leaves behind his two daughters Virginia (Charles) Potts of South Vienna, OH and Sara (Phil) Newell of London, OH; grandchildren Arianne Potts, Kevin Potts, Lauren Boyd (Fiancé Iain McCormick) and Natalie Boyd; great grandson Oliver McCormick; brothers Jerry (Vicki) Black of Lexington, KY, Charlie (Judy) Black of Lancaster, KY, sister Sheila Black of Lawrenceburg, KY several nieces and nephews and close friends Aaron and Kay Stephens.
He was preceded in death by his parents and in 2023 by his wife Nell Rose Black.
Funeral services will be held at 6:00pm on Thursday May 16th in Trinity Episcopal Church, with Father George Glazier officiating. Friends may call at the church from 4:00pm – 6:00pm prior to the service.
Memorials in Ron’s name may be made to Trinity Episcopal Church, 10 E. Fourth Street, London, Ohio 43140.
The family is being served by the EBERLE-FISHER FUNERAL HOME AND CREMATORY, 103 N. Main Street, London, where online condolences for the family may be sent to www.eberlefisherfuneralhome.com.
Carolyn Earehart ’72
May 29, 2024
Carolyn Lee Sweeney Earehart, age 73, of Beckley, WV passed away unexpectedly at her home in Beckley on May 29, 2024.
Born on September 5, 1950, in Beckley, she was the daughter of the late Basil Ross Sweeney and Ethel Maxine Williams Sweeney.
Mrs. Earehart was a 1968 graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School and 1972 graduate of Berea College, where she earned a teaching degree in home economics. She was a member of First United Methodist until she married her best friend, William David Earehart. She then attended United Methodist Temple. There she volunteered with numerous children’s ministries and served on several committees. For years she was a dedicated member of the church’s prayer chain ministry. She was also a member of the church handbell choir, which she loved participating in dearly. For several years, Mrs. Earehart was also involved in the Raleigh County Adult Literacy program, where she tutored several adults within the community wanting to learn how to read.
Mrs. Earehart was preceded in death by her parents and brothers, Charles, Clinton, and Larry Sweeney.
Those left to cherish her memory include her husband, William David Earehart of Beckley; daughters Amy Lee Key of Nashville, TN and Carrie Lynn Earehart of Beckley; granddaughter Camryn Ciara Key of Nashville, TN; sister-in-laws Diann Prunesti and husband Mike of Beckley, Linda Sweeney of Pittsburgh, PA, and Debby Farris and husband Gus of Grandview; nephews Cayce Prunesti, Donley Sweeney, Jack Sweeney, and Shawn Sweeney; nieces Adrienne Farris, Dean Ann Cantrell, DiAngela Prunesti, Lesli Farris, and KassiJo Lloyd.
A Celebration of Mrs. Earehart’s Life will be conducted at United Methodist Temple in Beckley on Saturday, September 7, 2024, at 2:00 PM with Rev. Steve Gedon officiating. Friends may visit with the family from 12:00 PM until service time on Saturday at the church.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the United Methodist Temple.
Private online condolences and other expressions of sympathy may be directed to the family via our guestbook at www.tyreefuneralhome.com
The family of Carolyn Earehart is being cared for by Tyree Funeral Home, Mount Hope.
Kenneth Darrell Maynard ’72
Sept. 4, 2024
Kenneth Darrell Maynard of Saint Cloud, FL, passed away peacefully at home in the early morning of September 4, 2024. He had been battling Parkinson’s Disease Dementia with Lewy Bodies since 2005.
Kenneth Darrell Maynard was born in Inez, Kentucky to Sylvia Jennings Maynard Horn and Roosevelt Maynard on June 15, 1949. He went to high school at Warfield Highschool and graduated in 1968. He went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Berea College in KY. Graduated in 1972. Ken played guard position in both High School & College basketball. At Barea College he also participated in track and held the fastest 100-yard time for many years.
Kenneth worked as Sales Executive for Georgia Pacific in West Palm Beach, FL & Atlanta, GA for 38 years.
Kenneth is survived by his devoted wife Carter McCale-Maynard of Saint Cloud, Florida.
He also survived by his son Kenneth Caldwell and wife Kris Caldwell, grandchildren MacKenzie Caldwell, Kennedy Caldwell of Richmond, KY.
He also leaves behind seven siblings Roger Maynard, Dick Maynard, Mary Dalton, Dave Maynard, Teresa Harmon, Faye Sheets and Marcia Keck.
In addition to his siblings, he also leaves behind many nieces, nephews and so many close friends.
He was preceded in the death by his parents, Roosevelt Maynard and Sylvia Jennings Maynard Horn, Brothers James Maynard, Elbert Maynard and Glen Maynard.
Funeral Service will be held at Green Lawn Cemetery on September 10, 2024 at 1:30 pm, Cemetery Rd. in Louisa, KY 41230 with Reverend Chris Wilson.
In lieu of flowers: Memorial Donations may be made to Parkinsons Association of Central Florida, P.O. Box 3337, Winter Park, FL 32790. Or Central Florida Lewy Body.org
FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS
“After many miles and all the smiles we’ll always remember you”
Rest in Peace Kenny
Stephen D. Farmer ’77
June 13, 2024
Steve Farmer, age 69, husband to Lorene Napier Farmer, passed away suddenly Thursday June 13, 2024, at Saint Joseph Hospital in London, KY. He was born February 6, 1955, in Berea, KY to Jack & Vi Farmer. A Christian by faith, Steve enjoyed and took part in many things throughout his life. He was an avid hunter, hunting all over the country, a fisherman, an outdoorsman with no limits. He was devoted to and loved his family, had a kind nature, always thought of others first, loved having fun, joking around, and was always laughing. Steve enjoyed traveling, visiting several international destinations. He was a sponsor, host, and mentor to many foreign students at Berea College. He was a master wood worker retiring from Berea College Woodcraft having made furniture which is now all over the country including furniture at Boone Tavern Hotel in Berea, KY, Union Church, Berea City Hall, and the Madison County Public Library. Steve graduated from Berea College with his bachelor’s degree and went on to get his master’s at EKU in Industrial Arts. He was highly active in Berea Learn Shops and a super promoter of Berea Crafts. Steve was devoted to the Sister City program of Berea, KY, and Hokuto City, Japan. Having traveled there for the past 15 years with the Berea delegation, he was a wonderful Ambassador for Berea, the United States, and the Craft Industry. He has left a void that cannot be filled.
In addition to his wife and parents, Steve is survived by two brothers, Mike (Cindy) Farmer of Berea, KY, Jeff (Donna Jenkins) Farmer of Berea, KY, sisters-in-law Irene (Gerald) Alexander; Zora (John) Thomas and brother-in-law Ira Napier of Mt. Vernon, KY ; nieces and nephews, Leslie (Brandon) Lilly of Berea, KY, Sarah (Sean Morgan) Steele of Berea, KY, Jacob Begley of Mt. Vernon, KY, Courtney Rigsby of Mt. Vernon, KY, Cody Alexander of Mt. Vernon, KY, and Christy DeBorde of Mt. Vernon, KY. Also left to cherish his memory are aunts, uncles, great nieces and great nephews along with numerous beloved cousins and many, many friends.
Funeral service will be 1:00PM eastern time Tuesday June 18, 2024, at Davis & Powell Funeral Home with Rev. Kent Gilbert officiating. You may view the service live at www.davisandpowellfuneralhome.com Burial will follow in the Maretburg Cemetery in Mount Vernon, KY. Pallbearers are Bob Bagley, Mark Spencer, Jacob Begley, Bhawesh Mishra, Cody Alexander, Cecil Begley and André Mugnier. Honorary Pallbearers are Terry Fields, Anthony Holbrook, George Goodrich, Alonzo Williams, Jim Terrell, Willie Johnson, and Larry Frith. Visitation will be 4:00PM – 9:00PM Monday June 17, 2024, at the funeral home.
Steve strongly supported St Jude Children’s Hospital. Donations to them in his memory can be made at www.stjude.org/donate
David Levi McFarland ’79
July 24, 2024
David Levi McFarland Jr., 69, passed away July 24th, 2024 from pancreatic cancer. David was born February 14th, 1955 in Cincinnati, Ohio to David Levi McFarland Sr. and Dorothy Boggus McFarland. He is survived by his wife of over 45 years, Sandy Taulbee McFarland, and children: Levi (Carla), Hannah (James) Wheat, Isaac (Brooks), and Samuel; grandchildren: Jude Poynter, Ivor Wheat, Mack Wheat and Boone Wheat. He is also survived by sisters Martha (Brett) James, and Becky (Steve) Dixon as well as several nieces and nephews, great nieces and nephews, and cousins. Additionally, survivors include his father-in-law, Jim Taulbee, brothers in law James (Lynette) Taulbee, Tom (Robin) Taulbee, a special cousin, Tina McFarland, his best friend Randy Dinsmore and lifetime friend, Don Lamb, as well as many other close friends. Both parents preceded him in death. He was also preceded in death by a sister, Mary Martin, brother Timothy McFarland, nephew David Martin Jr., nephew Max Taulbee and mother –in- laws Phyllis Taulbee Stevens and Ina Taulbee.
David grew up in Casey County and Pulaski County. He was a graduate of Berea College and received his Masters at Eastern Kentucky University. After working for engineering firms he eventually started multiple environmental abatement businesses. He continued to do consulting work up until his sickness prevented him from doing so.
David was a strong man of the Christian faith and was an active member of River of Life Foursquare Church in Berea, where he had many close friends. Serving his church and church family was very important to him.
He was an active outdoorsman who took care of the land and found great joy in nature. He was an avid road biker, hiker and kayaker. He traveled extensively both within the United States and internationally. He was a lifelong student, read voraciously and never quit learning.
There will be a private gathering. The McFarland family is grateful to all of their family, friends, and community for the outpouring of support and prayers. In lieu of flowers or other offerings of support, the family would appreciate donations to River of Life Foursquare Church, PO Box 509, Berea, KY 40403 or Hospice Care Plus, 350 Isaacs Lane, Richmond, KY 40475. Otherwise, please perform acts of service in his honor.
1980s
Sylvia Logan ’80
June 28, 2024
Obituary unavailable
Kenny Eugene Walker ’81
June 9, 2024
Kenny Eugene Walker May 29, 1958 – June 9, 2024 Hiawassee Kenny Eugene Walker, 66, of Hiawassee, passed away at home on June 9 th , 2024, surrounded by his family after a brief but valiant battle with ampullary cancer. Kenny was born on May 29, 1958, to Bib and Kitty Walker in Madison, West Virginia, the fifth of six children. When his high school graduation was on the horizon, his father pulled him aside and offered to “put in a good word for him at the mine” so he could follow in his footsteps as a coal miner. Kenny, when recounting this story, would say, “And I thought, I don’t know what I want to do, but I don’t think that is it”. He developed a love for woodworking in his high school shop class. He made his first cherry bedroom suite at age sixteen. Kenny had made many trips to Berea College in Berea, Kentucky while helping his older sisters move onto campus to begin their studies. He decided to apply. When speaking of his acceptance to this prestigious and academically competitive institution, Kenny would often laugh and say, “They must have needed male bodies that year”. At Berea, Kenny worked in the world-renowned college woodcraft studio, and as a professor’s assistant in the industrial arts education department. He also worked for Warren A. May in his acclaimed dulcimer and custom furniture studio. At Berea, Kenny also met his second love who quickly surpassed his love of woodworking, his wife Vicki Cunningham. They married in August 1979, after only knowing each other a few months. They settled in Vicki’s hometown of Hiawassee in 1989. Their nearly 45-year marriage was filled with love, patience, and kindness. Their love for each other was apparent to all who crossed their paths. Their successful marriage was built upon a solid foundation of their partnership. It was in Hiawassee that Kenny built his business, Walker Woodworks. He intentionally maintained a small shop that produced high-quality work. His custom cabinetry and furniture were highly sought after and often waited upon by many. Kenny worked independently for many years until he was asked by a local builder he respected, Bryan Underwood, to come work for him as a carpenter. During this time, Kenny worked alongside coworkers who quickly became friends, and then family, and they created many beautiful homes in the surrounding areas that will last for decades to come. Kenny’s dedication to his woodworking was only matched by his dedication to his family. Kenny was a devoted father to his two daughters. In his early years of fatherhood, he could often be found braiding hair and painting nails. His daughters spent many days in his shop building boats for their Barbies out of scrap wood, and later larger projects alongside him. He taught them to always measure twice and cut once and made sure they had fully stocked toolboxes and the skills to use them well. He was always just a phone call away and would answer on the first ring as his cell phone was always tucked in the zipper pocket of his signature Liberty overalls. Kenny always encouraged his daughters to follow their dreams even if it meant he would help them move… again. When speaking of “his girls” to friends and loved ones would smile and say, we raised them to be independent and fly but we didn’t know they would fly so far. As all of us who love Kenny move forward and navigate a world without him, we hold close to our hearts all of our wonderful memories of him, the skills he bestowed upon us, and his advice to go out and live life to the fullest. Kenny was preceded in death by his father, Bib Walker. He is survived by his wife, Vicki, daughters, Lindsey Walker and Emily Stevens (Troy), granddaughter Teresa, faithful companion (Kudzu), grand-dogs (Claire, Clutch, Paul, Georgia). He is survived by his mother, Kathryn “Kitty” Walker. His siblings, who also survive him, held a special place in his heart: John Walker, Nancy Hale (Jerry), Rada Walker (Ike), Deloris Aultman (Phil), Kevin Walker (Shawna), and numerous cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends who became family. A visitation with family will be held at Banister’s funeral home on Thursday, June 13, 2024 from 5pm-8pm. At Kenny’s request, a private celebration of life will occur at a later date with immediate family only. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Towns County Habitat for Humanity ( https://www.townsunionhabitat.org ) or Berea College ( https://www.berea.edu ). Visitation: Thursday, June 13, 2024 5:00-8:00 at Banister-Cooper Funeral Home To to the family in memory of Kenny Eugene Walker, please visit our flower store.
Saundra Lynn Riddle ’82
July 21, 2024
Obituary unavailable
1990s
Jill Ellen Jeffries ’90
July 28, 2024
Jill passed away on Sunday, July 28, 2024. She left this world as she lived in it, surrounded by family and friends. Jill was an intriguing individual and the longer you knew her, the more you learned about her life and sense of humor, which was second to none. Those who knew her best would describe her as a librarian with a sailor’s mouth. She knew which parts of her personality to let shine and when. If you worked with her, then you knew her professionalism and kindness to those she served was top shelf. Outside of her careers, she had very eclectic groups of friends. When out with friends she could let her hair down and sometimes even her drawers. One evening while attending a drag show with some friends, she was dancing with one of the queens and then moved on to having what seemed to be a deep conversation with someone she knew but hadn’t seen for some time. At some point while dancing, Jill had unbuttoned her pants, which had fallen to her ankles. There she stood, having a serious conversation totally obtuse to the situation. Her friends jumped into action and pulled them back up while the conversation continued, without missing a beat she handed her friend her drink, buttoned her pants, took her drink back, and continued her conversation as though nothing had happened.
At more personal times her quick wit would strike out of nowhere. When she was at her weakest and needed assistance moving from one seat to another, she would wrap her hands around your neck and slowly shift her weight back and forth to move. One of these times someone asked if she was trying to slow dance, her response was to wrap her arms a little tighter and chuckle as she said she was just “savoring the moment”.
Those close to her got to experience hand-written cards out of nowhere with affirmations or encouragements, quick witty responses at just the right moment, and times when you could sit together and say the things that wouldn’t be acceptable in “polite” company.
Her meticulous nature wove its way through each part of her personality. If Jill let you into her bubble, you had been vetted and deserved the honor that it was. She would pull no punches and let you know when she thought you could do better but was there to hug you when you felt like you couldn’t.
Lastly, throughout all the positives and negatives of life, the one thing you could count on was that she would never forget a single please or a thank you.
Melody Linette Crawford ’91
April 5, 2024
Melody Linette Crawford, 55, of Erwin, TN, died unexpectedly but peacefully on April 5,2024, at Johnson City Medical Center surrounded by family, a daughter of WC and the late Irma Blazer Crawford, Melody was a native of Weaverville, NC, and a graduate of North Buncombe High School, where she served as the first female president of the FFA. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from Berea College, a Master of Animal Science from The University of Tennessee-Knoxville, and an MBA from Montreat College. As a 1991 Thomas J Watson Fellow, Melody studied international dairy practices abroad for a year. Although she visited multiple countries, New Zealand was the primary location for her studies Melody was proudly employed with The Biltmore Estate for 29 years, most recently serving several years as Director of Parking and Transportation. Her career path may have changed direction, but she never lost her interest in agriculture and horticulture. Farming was introduced to her through 4-H and the family farm, where she raised goats, tobacco, and gardens. In recent years, she focused on backyard gardening and raising chickens. Additional interests included camping, traveling, honing various crafts, and making music. A natural musician, she was an avid singer and fiddle player who got her start singing hymns and Girl Scout songs with her mother and sisters. She was a member of both informal and formal groups, including her college choir and a female a cappella quartet, The Lady Slippers, at Berea College. Music played a significant role in her life, and was the basis of many of her closest bonds. She preferred to make music with friends and family rather than perform for a crowd. In addition to her mother, Melody is preceded in death by her soulmate, Colleen Trenwith; maternal grandparents, Bill and Ruby (Ruth) Blazer; paternal grandparents, Briscoe Crawford and Mabel Green Crawford Ball Norton; and paternal bonus grandfathers Virge Ball and Gus Norton Melody is survived by her father, WC Crawford; sisters, Suzette (Carroll) Bartlett and Lydia (Will) Russell; and nephew, James Bartlett; and a host of beloved extended family and friends. Melody’s concept of family was not defined solely by biology, with numerous chosen family members scattering the globe. In particular, she gained motivation and encouragement to embrace each day through daily calls from Vicki McGucken, Priscilla (Ned) Holbrook-Frazier, Beth Eaton, Paula (Brian) Wilber, and especially Keith, Krista and Kaitlyn CornA Celebration of Life is planned and a date will be announced at a later time. Blue Ridge Funeral Service will assist with the arrangements. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Melody’s honor be made to the charity of one’s choice. Melody had a skillful green thumb; unfortunately her siblings do not.
Omar Njie ’95
March 2, 2024
We are all shocked and saddened at the tragic news about our friend Omar Njie who died suddenly on Saturday 2 March 2024. Omar joined IFAD in 2011 as an Audit Officer and moved into operations in April 2021, serving as Country Director for Somalia, Palestine and Syria in the Cairo MCO, where he was truly passionate about taking on his new role. Omar was one of our best and brightest Country Directors and his work was exceptional, even in difficult places like Somalia.
Many of us were lucky to have had the opportunity to work directly with Omar through his years of service with IFAD. We will remember him as the kind and generous person, who always had a smile and a word of encouragement for everyone, and as the recipient of a 2022 staff award in appreciation of his work in Somalia. He will be greatly missed by all of us who had the privilege of working with him and knowing him.
Please keep Omar and his wife and children in your thoughts and prayers.
Vadim Kornilov ’99
Jan. 2, 2024
Obituary unavailable
